Fallen
by Teeheehee123
Summary: After a drug raid goes wrong, Horatio finds out who his friends really are
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed Fear and Loathing, you''ll be glad to know that I am planning a sequel but due to the heavy subject nature I wanted to take a break from it for a little while.**

**Here's my next offering, it's a plot that has been rolling around in my head for a while now. I know it's not nice to torture poor H but I can't help it, I enjoy it!**

**Anyways, here goes:**

_"Alright gentlemen" _Horatio addressed his team as they stood outside the abandoned warehouse, _"You know the plan. We go in pairs; no one is to be left without back up. Understood?" _The members of the group nodded as they loaded and checked their guns, Horatio and his team had been tracking this local drug cartel for a number of weeks. After biding their time, now was the time to strike. He stood sideways on, the sunlight shining off of his sunglasses as he turned his head towards his team, _"Time to cut the head off this snake once and for all"_

They entered the building in pairs, Eric and Frank took the left flank, Horatio and Ryan the right, and they were followed in by a pair of uniformed officers. Moving quietly, the teams made their way through the dimly lit warehouse.

Horatio stopped suddenly when he heard movement up ahead; he swiftly moved his head and gun hand from side to side, attempting to take at aim at any suspects in front of him. Just as he was about to move forward once more he heard a crashing noise and someone cursing in Spanish, sensing he had the suspect cornered Horatio walked forwards, gun aimed at the area that the noise originated from. _"You've got nowhere to go son" _he told him, _"Put your hands up and come quietly"_

The suspect knew he was trapped, he raised his hands in surrender, _"Ok, ok. Don't shoot me man"_ he pleaded pitifully.

_"Walk towards me" _Horatio ordered sternly, _"Hands where I can see them" _Confident that the suspect had surrendered and knowing that Ryan had his back covered he took a few steps towards the young Spanish man, as he reached to his back to get his cuffs he was tackled to the ground from behind. Hitting the ground with a thump he felt his breath leave his body violently and painfully, and then he felt a sharp scratching pain in his right leg. Dazed and confused he called out to his team mate, _"Ryan! Where the hell are you?" _

There was no time to listen for an answer as the two drug dealers set about subduing the man on the floor, _"You've caused us nothing but trouble, Puta!" _one of them shouted in between kicks at the fallen lieutenant, _"Time to put you out of commission. For good!" _the other suspect added, breathing heavily through anger and exertion.

Having subdued their own suspects and secured the rest of the building Frank and Eric ran towards the commotion. _"Freeze! MDPD!" _Eric shouted, gun trained on the criminals. Frank, along with the two uniformed officers handcuffed them and marched them out towards the waiting squad cars.

Sensing that the beating had stopped, Horatio attempted to lift his head from the ground. Wheezing heavily he asked Eric, _"What took you so long, brother?" _The effort of holding his head up was becoming too much for him so he let it fall back down to the ground with a thump, not caring about the pain it caused.

_"Shit. Horatio, what did they do to you?" _Eric knelt down by his fallen friend, the drug dealers had certainly done a number on him, _"Hang in there man, I'm gonna call for a bus" _he told him whilst placing a reassuring hand on his arm. _"This is Eric Delko, MDPD. I need a bus at 43__rd__ and Main, right now!" _Eric put his cell phone back in his pocket and looked down at Horatio once more, his breathing was becoming more and more laboured and he was looking at Eric with unfocused eyes.

_"Horatio" _he gripped the red head's arm tighter in an effort to rouse a response from him, _"Horatio!" _he shook him this time, _"Horatio, talk to man! Tell me what they've done!" _Eric was starting to panic now, a simple beating wouldn't have caused a man like Horatio to react like this, something was seriously wrong.

_"Eric" _he gasped as he began reaching a shaky hand towards his right leg, Eric's eyes followed his movements, his eyes widened and he gasped as he saw the needle sticking out of his friend's thigh.

_"Oh man. No!" _Realisation hit Eric like a tonne of bricks, the bastards had stuck Horatio with a needle full of heroin. _"H, you gotta stay with me man! Help is on the way but you gotta keep talking to me. You hear?" _He shook Horatio by the arm once more to get his attention, he could tell by the size of his friend's pupils that the drug was already in his bloodstream, his breathing becoming shallower and slower with each passing second. Seeing his eyes close once more he shook him violently trying to keep him conscious, _"Horatio! Open your eyes man! Stay with me!" _

_"Eric, what the hell happened? Is he alright?" _Frank ran over, seeing Horatio lying prostrate on the ground, the look that Eric gave him told him things were far from alright.

Eric turned his attention back to the man lying in front of him, his lips were turning blue now and his breathing was almost non-existent. Suddenly Horatio gasped then went limp, his head falling listlessly to one side.

_"Horatio!" _Eric exclaimed as he checked for a pulse, _"Don't you dare do this to me!" _he told him as he started chest compressions. Precious minutes later paramedics came running towards them, _"I think it's a heroin overdose, he stopped breathing a couple of minutes ago" _he told them as he allowed them to take over the CPR.

One of the paramedics turned to look at Frank and Eric as they worked on Horatio, _"Is he a user?" _he questioned, motioning his head towards the dying man in front of him.

_"Of course he's not a user you dumbass!" _Frank shouted, _"The scumbag drug dealers we've just arrested stuck him with a needle full of the stuff" _he told them, running a shaky hand over his balding head, watching as they hooked monitors up to Horatio's chest.

_"I'm still not getting a pulse" _the other paramedic told his partner, _"Charging to 300, stand clear" _Horatio's body lifted from the ground as the shock went through him. _"Still no pulse. Charge to 360, stand clear" _The monitors still showed no response, the paramedic administered a dose of epinephrine and charged the paddles once more. _"Okay, we've got a pulse" _the paramedic turned to his colleague, _"It's weak but it's there, we need to get him to Dade Memorial. ASAP"_

Eric and Frank watched in stunned silence as they intubated Horatio and ran IVs into both of his arms, _"Either one of you coming with us?" _the paramedics asked as they started pushing to gurney towards the warehouse door.

Eric shook himself from his stupor and replied, _"I'm coming with him"_ He held his fallen friend's hand as he was wheeled towards the ambulance. He sat in the back of the vehicle as the gurney was loaded, it was then that he saw Ryan running towards him. Anger surged through him, Ryan was meant to have Horatio's back, where the hell was he when it all went down in the warehouse? He was about to leap from the vehicle when one of the paramedics placed a hand on his arm, _"It's not looking too good for your friend here, we need to leave right now" _

Eric sat back down and watched helplessly as his friend, boss and mentor fought for his life. _"We should be at the hospital in less than ten minutes sir" _said the paramedic who was rhythmically squeezing air into the breathing tube in Horatio's mouth. Suddenly the alarms on the monitor started to squeal, Horatio's back arched and then he fell limp against the gurney, twitching and convulsing uncontrollably. _"Shit Bobby, you better step on it!" _the paramedic shouted to his colleague driving the vehicle. After two horrendously long minutes the paramedic had managed to stabilise Horatio to the point where the monitors were beeping and not screeching as they had been before. The paramedic glanced at the monitors once more and told his colleague, _"We better nearly be there Bobby, his pressure's dropping fast. I don't think he's gonna hold out much longer!"_

The next thing Eric knew the ambulance had screeched to a halt, the back doors were opened and the gurney removed_. _Doctors and nurses swarmed around Horatio as they raced through into the ER, all Eric could do was stand and watch as they attempted to save his friend's life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, sorry for the delay but here's the next chapter for you. I hope you enjoy:**

It had been an hour since Horatio had been rushed into the ER, Frank and Calleigh sat beside Eric waiting to hear any news about his condition. _"Eric" _Calleigh said softly as she placed a hand on his knee, _"You did everything you could for him"_ she smiled at him with watery eyes.

_"What if he dies Calleigh?" _he asked her, the despair clearly written all over his face.

_"He's Horatio" _she told him, _"He's as hard as they come, it's going to take more than a couple of drug dealers to bring him down" _Truth be told, she didn't know who she was trying to convince, Eric or herself.

Fifteen minutes later a doctor came in, recognising Eric he walked over to talk to him. _"Eric Delko?" _the doctor asked.

_"That's me"_ he told the doctor, standing up and bracing himself for the bad news. _"How's Horatio? Is he going to be ok?" _He asked, silently dreading the answers.

The doctor looked at the ground and let out a breath, _"He's alive" _he replied, sensing the tension in the room he continued, _"Mr Caine was injected with a large amount of heroin as you know. Due to the fact that he's not a user it has affected him quite significantly, we've administered a drug called Naloxone to neutralise the effects of the heroin. Your friend is lucky that it wasn't given to him intravenously otherwise in all likelihood he'd be dead right now"_

_ "Will he be ok, doctor?" _Calleigh asked shakily.

The doctor ran a hand through his hair, trying to phrase his answer in a way that wouldn't panic the people in front of him, _"The heroin severely affected Mr Caine's ability to breathe, it has suppressed his respiratory functions and so we've had to put him on a ventilator to help him" _The doctor saw their crestfallen faces but knew he had to continue, _"We're carrying out arterial blood gas tests and liver and renal function tests as we speak to ascertain the likelihood of long-term or permanent damage. We also need to carry out MRI and CT scans to check for any damage to his brain or central nervous system" _The doctor paused for breath, allowing the information to sink in. _"He's stable at the moment but is still not able to breathe on his own, all we can do is sit back and wait"_

_ "But he will be alright, won't he?" _Frank asked.

The doctor looked at them once more and sighed softly, _"At this point I'm afraid I really can't say. I'm sorry that I don't have better news for you"_

_ "Where is he?" _Eric questioned the doctor, _"Can we see him?" _He wouldn't believe what the doctor was saying until he saw Horatio with his own eyes.

_"He's in the ICU at the moment. You can visit him one at a time but you need to let the nurses do their job. If they ask you to leave or get out of the way then you do that, understood?" _

_"We understand" _Eric replied, answering for all of them, following the doctor through the stark white hallways of the hospital towards the ICU ward, the smell of antiseptic brought back memories of his own time in the hospital five years ago. He put those thoughts to the back of his mind as he entered Horatio's room, his eyes widened in shock as he looked at his friend lying limply on the hospital bed surrounded by wires, tubes and monitors. He looked deathly pale and his lips still had that same blue tinge that they had at the warehouse.

_"He's stable for the moment, it seems as though the Naloxone is having a positive effect on his condition. His vital organs have been subjected to quite an ordeal today, we're keeping him sedated until he's strong enough to breathe on his own again" _the doctor told him as he checked through the chart at the end of the bed. _"If he makes it through the night without any complications then I'm reasonably optimistic that he'll survive"_

It wasn't what Eric wanted to hear, he wanted the doctor to tell him that Horatio would be fine in a day or two, back at the crime lab giving suspects hell. _"He'll be ok though, won't he?" _he asked hopefully.

_"Until he wakes up Mr Delko I'm afraid we have no way of knowing" _the doctor told him sadly, wishing he had better news to give the young man.

He walked over to the bed, his heart pounding against his ribcage; in all of his years in CSI he had never seen Horatio look so small and vulnerable. _"H" _Eric began, trying to keep his voice steady, "_It's me, Eric. You're gonna be ok, whatever happens we're here for you" _he gripped his friends hand, it felt cold and limp. _"Frank and Calleigh are here too. Frank says the coffee in here tastes like shit and that you need to hurry the hell up and wake up" _a he let out a small laugh and a slight smile graced his lips. Eric ran a hand over his short hair, _"Truth is H, I don't know what I'd do without you"_

A soft knock at the door caught Eric's attention and he turned around to see a nurse standing in the doorway, _"Sorry Mr Delko, I need you to leave the room for a few minutes whilst I attend to your friend" _she smiled apologetically to him.

_"Sure. No problem" _Eric replied, giving Horatio's hand one last squeeze before leaving the room, he needed time to get control of his emotions anyway. He found Frank and Calleigh sitting in the waiting area and looking at him for news on Horatio's condition.

_"Hey Delko, how's he doing?" _Frank asked, standing up.

_"He's…" _he started, not sure if he could keep his voice steady. He shook his head and started again, _"He's not good Frank. He's hooked up to so many machines in there" _his eyes shifting from Frank, to Calleigh and then to the floor as he continued, _"He's just lying there, I've never seen him look so still" _He could feel his eyes welling up, he wiped furiously at his face, _"I'm sorry. I need some air" _he told them as he bolted for the exit.

A few minutes later the nurse left Horatio's room, _"One of you can go and sit with him now if you like" _she told them, taking a tray of implements with her.

_"I'll go in Frank, how about you get some more coffee?"_ Calleigh told the large Texan.

_"Huh" _he laughed humourlessly, _"I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than drink any more of that slop" _he groused, returning to his chair in the waiting area.

Calleigh entered the room cautiously, not sure if she was ready for the sight that would greet her. She couldn't help the small gasp that escaped from her mouth when she saw him, he looked lifeless. Lying in the hospital bed with a tube down his throat he looked nothing like the man Calleigh had come to admire so much. It was the little things that made him 'Horatio' be it his need to always have something in his hands to fiddle with or the way he stood or held himself. She loved the way he could say so much with just a look or a subtle move of his head, now he just looked like the shell of the man she knew.

Eyes brimming with tears, she walked over to his bed and held his hand tightly in both of hers, _"Hey Handsome" _she started, remembering the way he always used to smile shyly at her nickname for him. _"You've gone and got yourself into a pickle this time, haven't you" _she tried to joke, _"We're gonna be here until you wake up and start giving the doctors and nurses hell. Frank won't say it but he's having kittens out there in the waiting room, I don't think he knows what to do with himself" _She looked at his still face, hoping that he would open his eyes and respond to her even though she knew that he wouldn't. She was about to start talking to Horatio again when she heard shouting from outside the door, placing his hand gently back down on the bed she walked over to the door and peeked outside.

_"This is all your fault Wolfe!"_ Eric snarled as he grabbed the shorter man by his shirt, _"Where the hell were you? You were meant to have his back!" _All Eric wanted to do was tear Ryan apart, piece by piece. Frank tried in vain to pull him back but Eric shrugged him off, _"After everything he's done for you, how could you do this to him?"_

Ryan squirmed under Eric's furious gaze, trying and failing to free himself from the taller man's grip on his shirt. _"It's not what you think Eric, I can explain!" _he pleaded, eyes darting between the two men in front of him. _"Please, let me go. Frank tell him, please?" _he implored the older man.

Frank placed a hand on Eric's shoulder once more, _"Eric" _when the other man did not respond he tried again, louder and firmer this time. _"Eric, let him go. Give him a chance to explain himself" _Eric closed his eyes and let out a deep breath before nodding his head slightly and letting Ryan go roughly.

_"Explain then" _Eric spat, hatred in his voice.

Ryan smoothed his shirt down as he tried to reason with Eric and Frank; he knew they had every reason to be angry with him. He should have had H's back but he had failed him, he knew this was his fault. _"I was following H through the warehouse; he was at least ten steps ahead of me. I thought I heard a noise and turned to check it out when I felt a gun on the back of my head. I felt a hand over my mouth and then someone hit me from behind. The next thing I remember is waking up in a pile of trash behind the warehouse" _He looked to the two men, eyes begging them to understand. _"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" _he dropped his head and stared at the floor.

_"If he dies Wolfe, this is on you!" _Eric drilled the smaller man with an icy glare that Horatio would have been proud of. Ryan lifted his head, making eye contact with Eric and nodded his head sadly.


	3. Chapter 3

**The weather here in the UK today has been pretty shocking so I've been able to devote more time to my writing today than I normally would.**

**I would like to state for the record that I am no expert on medical terminology but I have done some research and I apologise if anything I've written is not 100% medically correct.**

Eric woke up to find himself back in Horatio's room; one by one the others had made their excuses and left, promising to be back in the morning. He glanced over at the figure in the bed, he still had that lifeless look about him, there had been no change in his condition overnight but he had survived and that was the main thing. He knew that Ryan was bearing the brunt of his anger at the moment; he couldn't help but blame the other man for this happening. His anger and fear that he would lose one of his closest friends had found an easy target in Ryan. He looked up as a nurse entered the room, _"He got through last night without any problems Mr Delko, this is a good sign" _she smiled at him as she checked the chart at the end of the bed and then adjusted one of the IV's running into Horatio's arm. _"He'll be going for some tests later on today, then the doctor will come and give you an update" _she left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

Just as the nurse had said, Horatio was subjected to a number of various tests throughout the day with doctors and nurses coming and going. After being asked to leave the room for yet another test to be carried out Eric pulled his phone from his pocket and dialled Calleigh's number.

_"Hi Eric" _she answered in her sweet Southern tone, _"How's Horatio doing?"_

_ "The same, Calleigh" _he sighed, rubbing a weary hand over his face. _"How are things at the lab?" _

_"We're coping" _she replied, _"I'm nearly finished here and so I was going to come over and sit with Horatio for a little while so you can go home and have a break" _Eric was just about to tell her that he would be fine when she answered for him, _"No arguments Eric. You've not had a rest since it happened, you're not going to be any use to Horatio if you're exhausted" _He knew she was right, plus a shower and a shave seemed like a good idea right about now.

Admitting defeat Eric agreed, _"Ok Calleigh, I'll see you when you get here" _Re-entering Horatio's room for what seemed like the fiftieth time today he closed the door quietly and sat back down in the armchair beside the bed, ready to continue his vigil. He realised that he must have fallen asleep at some point, he was woken from his dreamless rest by the sound of Horatio's heart monitor screeching wildly. Before he could reach the alarm button doctors and nurses poured into the room, roughly pushing Eric aside to attend to the ailing man in the bed. One kindly nurse took him by the arm and told him gently, _"Sir, you need to leave the room and let the doctors do their job. He's in good hands" _she smiled at him encouragingly.

Panic surged through Eric, _"What's happening to him? Is he going to be ok?" _he asked desperately as the nurse led him from the room.

_"Someone will come and find you as soon as we can" _she reassured him as she closed the door and returned to the chaotic scene inside the room.

Eric just stood there, staring at the door and wondering what the hell had just happened. Calleigh walked into the waiting area and gasped when she heard the commotion coming from Horatio's room, _"Oh God Eric!" s_he exclaimed, _"What happened?"_

_ "I…..I don't know Calleigh" _he looked at her desperately, _"I must have fallen asleep. Next thing I knew alarms were squealing and then I got thrown out of the room" _He looked for all the world as if he was going to fall to pieces right there in the waiting area, Calleigh rushed up to him and drew him fiercely into a hug.

_"It's going to be ok Eric" _she told him, gripping onto him tightly. She had no idea how long they had stood like that for, the embrace only broken when a doctor emerged from Horatio's room looking pale and stressed, he cleared his throat in an effort to get their attention.

_"Excuse me" _the doctor began, _"Are you hear for Mr Caine?" _he asked them, his head motioning to the room he had just left.

Eric broke from the embrace and turned his head to look at the doctor, _"Yes, that's right. Is he ok?" _Judging by the demeanour of the doctor he had a feeling that the news would not be good, he closed his eyes and braced himself.

_"We've managed to stabilise him, we're running tests at the moment but it appears as if Mr Caine is suffering from endocarditis" _the blank look on their faces indicated that the doctor would need to explain the condition in simpler terms. _"It basically means that he's picked up an infection that has affected the inner lining of the heart, it means that his heart is struggling to function properly at the moment. _Seeing the crestfallen looks on the Eric and Calleigh's faces he continued, "_The good news is that we've caught it early. We're treating it aggressively with antibiotics, once the infection is cleared we'll have to run some more tests to check that there's been no long-term damaged caused to his heart"_

_ "Will he survive?" _Calleigh asked, her voice barely a whisper.

The doctor looked down at the ground and then me her eyes, _"Right now we need to get the infection under control, he's feverish and his body is already under a great deal of stress. Given his age he's at a higher risk of complications such as heart failure or stroke, we need to keep a close eye on him for the next 24 hours or so, then we'll have a better idea of what the next course of action will be" _He looked them both in the eyes and told them, _"I'm sorry I don't have better news for you"_

Eric left shortly after the doctor's prognosis, giving in to his fatigue and allowing Calleigh to keep watch over Horatio. She had been sat in the armchair for the last two hours and her body was beginning to complain of being kept in the same position for so long, she moved her head from side to side and rolled her shoulders in an effort ease some of the stiffness from her muscles. Horatio's condition had not changed, the uneven beeping from the monitors keeping a steady pace as he clung on to life. Calleigh gripped his hand, convincing herself that the physical contact alone would keep him alive, _"Horatio, you need to fight this" _she told him as she wiped the tears that were falling unbidden from her eyes, _"I need you to wake up and tell me what to do" _she admitted quietly.

Natalia entered the room just before 5am, giving Calleigh a slight smile she asked, _"Need a break?"_

The fear of breaking physical contact with Horatio almost made her say 'no' but she had to admit to herself that she needed to get up and stretch her legs; she nodded her head as she raised herself from the chair. Natalia walked over to her and placed her hands on her arms, _"I'll stay here with him, he won't be on his own, I promise" _she tried to reassure her colleague.

As Calleigh left the room she saw Eric walk back into the waiting area, he still looked tired and haggard but it appeared as if he had a shower and had changed his clothes. _"Any news?" _he asked her.

_"Nothing yet" _she told him, _"He's been pretty shaky most of the night but they seem to think it's down to the fever"_

Trying to find a positive in the harrowing situation Eric remarked, _"I suppose we should take it as a good sign that he hasn't got any worse"_

Calleigh tried to raise a smile but failed, her eyes full of sorrow she looked once more at Horatio's room. "_Natalia's with him at the moment, I need to go home and freshen up and then get to the lab" _Eric offered to go with her but she insisted that he stay with Horatio. _"You need to be here Eric" _she told him as she reached to take her purse from a chair and left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews, it really does mean a lot to me that you have taken the time to read and review my work :-)**

**Here's the next chapter for you, I hope you enjoy...**

It had been a long and harrowing three days, throughout that time at least one member of the team had been at Horatio's bedside, only leaving when the doctors or nurses asked them to exit the room. The worry and stress had taken its toll on everyone, each person taking it in turns to keep up the vigil at their fallen leader's bedside, willing Horatio to hold on and fight as the infection raged through his system. It had by no means been an uneventful 72 hours, the monitors reflecting the life and death battle that was being waged in the red head's body.

Eric walked back into Horatio's room, relieving Frank of his watch over the lieutenant, he sat in the armchair and picked up Horatio's limp hand. _"H, its Eric. I'm not sure if you can hear me but you've given us all quite a scare these last few days" _he looked at the other man, hoping for a response. _"You've given Frank a few more grey hairs, we've all been sitting here with you. We miss you, H" _he said sadly.

He thought he imagined it at first, a small and almost imperceptible pressure on his hand. _"H?" _he questioned as he stood up and leaned over, praying that he hadn't imagined the movement from the other man. _"H, if you can hear me" _he started as he squeezed his hand harder, _"I need you to open your eyes H, please" _he pleaded almost desperately. There was no response and Eric felt his heart sink, he slowly moved to sit back down but stopped when he felt pressure on his hand once more. _"H, c'mon man. Open those eyes for me" _he coaxed gently as he saw the eyelids of his friend flicker slowly and open to half-mast. _"That's it, H. You can do it"_

Horatio felt as if he had been floating in a fog for the last few hours, he heard voices around him but he was surrounded by darkness and unable to move his weary body. He floated in a dreamlike state for what seemed like eternity before he felt someone take hold of his hand. Not sure what was real and what was fantasy he gripped the hand as tight as he could, hoping that it could anchor him back to some sort of reality. He heard a voice that he recognised, telling him to open his eyes, he tried in vain to obey the command but found his body unwilling to co-operate. Finally he succeeded and managed to open his eyes a fraction, everything was blurry and the voice speaking to him sounded muffled. He attempted to take a breath so that he could open his mouth and speak but instead found himself choking on the tube that had been inserted into his throat. Still dazed and confused he started to panic, the screeching of the alarms above his bed doing nothing to calm his racing heartbeat. He looked desperately at the fuzzy face of the man standing over him, whatever he was saying was so muffled that he couldn't understand it, his fear was beginning to overwhelm him and he could feel himself starting to tremble.

_"H" _Eric raised his voice and lent over his friend, trying to get his attention, _"It's me, Eric. You need to calm down man, you've got a tube down your throat to help you breathe. Just relax, you need to calm down" _Eric told him as he reached for the alarm button, he could see Horatio's panic rise and the fear was evident in the half-opened eyes.

A doctor and two nurses came rushing into the room, seeing the distress of the red head the doctor placed both hand gently on Horatio's face in an effort to calm him, _"Mr Caine, you're in the hospital" _he began, seeing that he was not getting through he tried again, _"Mr Caine, you need to calm down. Don't fight the machine, it's helping you breathe". _The doctor gently caught the shaky hand that reached up towards the tube, _"I can take it out but you need to calm down Mr Caine, ok?" _sensing that he was finally getting through he continued, _"Nod your head if you understand me Mr Caine" _he instructed him. Horatio nodded his head slightly and then groaned as he felt a shooting pain go through his head. _"You still with me Mr Caine?" _the doctor asked, Horatio opened his eyes once more and blinked in response. _"Ok, I'm going to remove the tube now, when I count to three I need you to cough as hard as you can for me. Can you do that?" _Another blink. _"Ok, one…two….three" _Horatio coughed and gagged as the tube left his throat.

_"Wha…." _he rasped roughly, raising a shaky hand to his throat.

_"Take it easy Mr Caine, your throat is going to be very sore for a while" _the doctor informed him gently whilst one of the nurses wetted a sponge stick and applied it to his dry lips. _"We're going to check you over, ok?" _ The doctor looked at Eric, _"Mr Delko, if you wouldn't mind waiting outside please" _Eric nodded his agreement and left the room.

Natalia, Frank and Calleigh were all in the waiting room, using their Sunday off to keep watch over Horatio and lend their support to Eric. Seeing the commotion unfold all three of them looked to Eric for answers, _"What's happening Delko?" _Frank asked impatiently.

Eric shook his head in slight bewilderment before addressing the group in front of him, _"He opened his eyes" _he told them, the women smiled hopefully at him eager to hear some good news on Horatio's condition, _"I felt him squeeze my hand and then he opened his eyes, I'm not sure he knew where he was as he started to panic. The doctor has thrown me out now so he can check him over" _he sat heavily on a chair and ran a hand through his hair.

It seemed like an eternity but when the doctor finally emerged from the room, everyone stood up to meet him, eager to ask questions about their friend. _"Mr Caine is awake" _he told them brightly, _"He's by no means out of the woods yet but I'm hopeful that he's turned a corner now. I was concerned that he wouldn't be able to breathe sufficiently on his own when we extubated him but he seems to be holding his own at the moment" _The doctor paused for breath and looked once more at the group of officers in front of him, _"We've got him on 100% oxygen to help his lungs, it's important that he remains as calm as possible as there is still a high risk of serious complications in his recovery"_

_ "Will he be ok though?" _Frank asked, feeling his patience wearing thin.

_"Mr Caine is very drowsy right now, probably due to the medication we've been administering so it's hard to assess his physical and mental status at this time. We need to give him time for the fog to clear, so to speak, before we can make any judgments on whether he'll make a full recovery" _

_"Can we see him?" _Calleigh asked, biting her bottom lip slightly.

The doctor nodded, _"One at a time though" _he told them sternly, _"He's still very weak and in and out of consciousness, try not to overwhelm him. His heart and lungs really can't take any kind of stress right now" _The doctor made his excuses and then left the waiting area to check on another patient, passing Ryan on the way through.

Four sets of eyes bored into him, he had done his best to stay out of their way and keep a low profile since the raid. He knew that they blamed him for what happened, somehow he needed to make them understand that he would do anything to be able to change places with H right now. He took a deep breath and steeled himself for the onslaught of fury, _"I know that you don't want me here" _he told them, looking at the ground, _"I've tried to stay out of everyone's way but I couldn't help it. I needed to see him" _Keeping his head down and expecting Eric to launch for him at any moment he braced himself for the physical impact. He was caught by surprise when Calleigh walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, she squeezed him slightly in reassurance.

_"Ryan, its ok" _she told him, _"There was nothing you could have done, it's not your fault. You have just as much right to see him as the rest of us" s_he smiled softly at him. He glanced at Natalia who smiled and nodded her head slightly, he turned his gaze to Frank and then Eric and found their countenances not as forgiving as those of the women.

_"Eric" _he started, _"If you want me to leave I will, I don't want any trouble here" _he said as he turned to leave. He was stopped by Eric's deep voice.

_"Hey Wolfe, wait." _Ryan turned back towards Eric and looked him in the eyes, _"Stay" _the Cuban said as he sat back down on a chair.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks again for all the positive feedback, I'm glad you're enjoing the story. Here's another chapter for you:**

_"Well, are we all going to sit here staring at each other or is one of us going to go and see him?" _Frank griped, tired of the tension in the room. The last few days had everyone on a knife edge.

_"Eric" _Calleigh looked at him from across the room. _"You should go back in there, I'm sure he'd like to see a familiar face"_

_ "Sure, if you guys don't mind?" _he asked as he stood, the others nodded their approval. _"I'll let H know you're all here" _he smiled tightly as he turned and walked towards Horatio's room.

He entered the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. He looked over to the man in the bed, his eyes were closed and he appeared to be sleeping. Eric slowly sat down in the armchair and winced as it made a noise as he placed his weight on it. He heard a soft groan, _"H?" _he questioned gently placing a hand on his friend's arm. _"H, are you awake?" _He was rewarded with another groan as Horatio's eyes flickered open.

_"Urgh…" _the red head moaned as he tried to get his eyes to adjust to the light in the room, turning his head slightly he thought he saw a face he recognised. His vision was still blurry, it didn't seem to matter how many times he blinked or squinted his eyes he still couldn't get the image to sharpen. _"Eric?" _he asked shakily, _"Is that you?" _He reached out a trembling hand in the direction of the person in front of him.

_"Yeah H, it's me" _Eric smiled as he took hold of the other man's hand concerned at the tremors running through Horatio's body. _"How are you felling?"_ he prompted, trying to put his fears to one side.

Lifting his other hand to the oxygen mask on his face to remove it Horatio spoke once more, slurring his words slightly. _"Eric" _he took a deep breath then continued, _"What happened?"_

Eric gently removed Horatio's hand from the oxygen mask and placed it back over his face for him, _"You got hurt at the drug bust" _he told him, holding back a large portion of the truth until he though his friend was strong enough to deal with it. _"You need to keep the mask on, H" _he said as he intercepted the shaky hand that was reaching for the mask again.

_"Raid"_ Horatio slurred, his eyes starting to close.

_"Yep, that's right H. Things went south" _Eric closed his eyes as he tried to get the image of that fateful day out of his mind. _"You're gonna be ok though, I promise" _he told him, praying that was the truth.

He sat in the chair watching Horatio sleep; the short conversation seemed to have taken a great deal of energy from the other man. Although he was lying still Eric could not help but noticed the slight tremors coursing through his friend's body. Hearing a low groan he sat up and leaned forwards towards the bed. _"H, you with me man?" _he asked, shaking his shoulder slightly in an effort to rouse him.

_"Eric?" _ Horatio asked softly, he still couldn't get his eyes to focus and everything still seemed fuzzy. He felt as though he were floating in a haze, nothing seemed to make sense and he had no idea where he was or how he had got there. _"Eric" _he tried again, hoping that he was actually talking and not imagining it, _"What happened?"_

Eric felt his heart thump in his chest; he had just had this same conversation with Horatio less than an hour ago. Trying to keep a lid on his emotions he took the other man's hand once more, making a mental note to ask the doctor if Horatio's behaviour was normal in these kinds of situations. _"You're in the hospital, H. Things went south at the drugs bust" _he told him once more.

Horatio turned his head towards the blurry figure, and groaned slightly at the pain that went through his head. _"Raid" _he repeated, slurring. _"Raid"_

_ "That's right, H. You're gonna be ok though" _He gripped Horatio's hand tighter, willing it to be true. He watched his friends eyes close once more; he gently placed the trembling hand back down on the bed and leaned back in the chair trying to keep his fears at bay.

He must have sat there for an hour or more, watching the other man sleep and shift restlessly every so often. He had noticed that the tremors were becoming more frequent and a thin sheen of sweat was starting to appear on Horatio's face, the monitors beeping more frequently as his heart rate increased. Eric got up and pushed the alarm button above the bed, less than a minute later a young nurse knocked on the door and entered the room. _"Is there something you need, sir?" s_he asked, glancing towards the man in the bed.

_"I'm not sure if there's anything wrong but he's been shaking a lot since I've been sitting with him and it's getting worse" _Eric told the nurse, standing and rubbing a hand over his head trying to relieve himself of some of the nervous tension that had been building steadily. _"He's starting to sweat too, what's wrong with him?"_

The nurse gave Eric a tight smile as she checked the other man's blood pressure and took a note of the readings on the monitor beside the bed. _"I'm just going to page the doctor so he can come and check him out" _Seeing the look of alarm on Eric's face she tried to reassure him, _"We're doing everything we can for him, sir"_

Eric left the room on instructions from the nurse; he sat back down in the waiting area avoiding the questioning looks from the others. He sat with his head in his hands and realised that he was hopelessly out of his depth in this situation.

_"Eric" _Natalia prodded gently, _"What's going on in there?" _she asked as she sat next to him and placed a reassuring hand on his knee.

He let out a deep breath, _"He woke up and asked me what happened, I told him things went pear-shaped at the raid" _he looked up at Ryan who quickly looked away. _"He's been drifting in and out, just asking me the same questions over and over"_

_"It's probably just the drugs they're giving him making him a bit dopey" _Natalia tried to reason.

_"I called the nurse in, he was shaking pretty badly and burning up just before I left" _he explained, five sets of eyes followed the doctor who entered Horatio's room as they all took their places to wait for news on their fallen friend.


	6. Chapter 6

**I was going to leave posting this chapter until tomorrow but I've decided to let you have it early :-)**

**Again, I'm not sure if some of what I have written is entirely medically accurate so you may have to allow for a little artistic license...**

Seeing the doctor exit Horatio's room Eric stood up to meet him, _"Doctor, how is he?"_

_ "I think it might be a good idea if you sat down Mr Delko"_

Eric could hear his heart pounding in his ears; he sat down slowly, expecting the worst. _"What's happened?" _he asked, bracing himself for the bad news.

_"As you know, heroin is a highly addictive drug. In most cases it only takes one hit for the body to become addicted, it seems as though Mr Caine's body is suffering from withdrawal"_

_ "That's crap, doctor!" _Frank shouted as he stood with his hands on his hips, _"The guy has never touched any drugs in his life. Hell, he doesn't even drink!"_

Sensing the fraught emotions in the room the doctor tried to placate them, _"That as may be detective, Mr Caine is exhibiting all of the classic signs of heroin withdrawal. As I said, it only takes one hit for the body to become addicted"_

_ "What will happen?" _Calleigh asked, voice shaking.

The doctor ran a weary hand across his face, _"Right now the only option we have is to give his body what it needs. Heroin is derived from the same opiate as morphine; we'll need to administer it intravenously to counteract the symptoms of withdrawal"_

_ "Won't that make the addiction worse?" _Calleigh questioned, already knowing the answer.

_"I'm afraid we don't have much of a choice at the moment, he's still far too weak to be able to handle going through withdrawal at this time. His heart is not strong enough to take the stress of going through a detox; if we tried it would in all likelihood cause a massive myocardial infarction"_

_ "How long?" _Eric growled, his voice threatening.

_"I'm sorry?" _the doctor replied, confused.

_"How long are you planning to drug him up for?" _Eric continued, giving the doctor a fearsome stare.

_"For at least the next few days, I'm afraid. We'll be running regular EKG and blood gas tests, when we're happy that Mr Caine's respiratory functions have improved significantly then we can think about weaning him off the morphine" _The doctor had planned on leaving it there but felt compelled to be completely honest with the group, they had spent the last several days camping out in the ICU waiting area supporting their ailing colleague. _"Now that we have cause for optimism I think I should make you aware of something" _he began.

_"More bad news? Hell, just spit it out man!" _Frank snapped tersely.

_"There's a chance that the needle that Mr Caine was injected with has been used by a habitual drug user which as you all know means that there is a possibility that he may have come in to contact with certain diseases such as Hepatitis or HIV" _the doctor paused as he heard a soft gasp. _"We have sent samples to our lab from blood that we've already drawn from Mr Caine but the test results will not be back for at least another ten days. We have been administering a drug called PEP since he was admitted and we're hoping that the chances of him contracting HIV or Hepatitis will be minimal. I really am sorry that I don't have anything more definitive for you" _

The team sat in stunned silence; trying to take in the news they had just been given. Ryan felt his face redden in shame; he knew that this was his fault; if only he'd been more cautious then none of this would have happened. He wrung his hands together in an effort to make them stop shaking, there was no way he could ever put this right again.

_"I need some air" _Frank declared as he stood up and walked towards the exit, Natalia followed suit, desperate to flee from the raw emotions radiating throughout the room.

Ryan stood, took a deep breath and walked towards Horatio's room, _"Eric, I'm going to go and sit with him, ok?" _Eric nodded his agreement and sat with his head in his hands.

He reached a shaky hand to the door handle, willing his palms to stop sweating he turned the handle and entered the room. _"H?" _he said softly, _"H, it's Ryan" _He got no response from the other man, he sat down in the chair beside the bed and took Horatio's hand, squeezing it lightly. His eyes travelled to the other man's face when he heard a soft groan, _"H, can you hear me? It's Ryan?"_

_ "Ryan?" _he slurred, his voice barely a whisper. _"Raid. You ok?"_

_"I'm so sorry H, I got hit from behind. I left you without back up, I'm so sorry" _Ryan babbled, trying to keep his emotions in check. _"This is all my fault H, I'm so sorry" _he repeated as he felt a tear run down his face.

_"You ok…..Ryan?" _Horatio repeated, looking in the younger man's general direction his voice muffled by the oxygen mask strapped to his face.

_"My God, after everything that's happened how can he be worried about me? I'm not the one who is lying in a hospital bed!" _He thought to himself, amazed that Horatio was thinking of others at a time like this instead of himself. _"I'm fine H, just took a knock on the head. It's you we're worried about" _Ryan was rewarded with a small smile from Horatio as the older man closed his eyes once more. The tremors seemed to have abated and Horatio appeared to be resting peacefully, Ryan made himself comfortable and settled in for what he knew would be a long night.

Over the next two days the team took it in turns to sit by Horatio's bedside, the constant flow of morphine in his bloodstream kept him drowsy and incoherent at best. As they sat by his bedside his colleagues prayed that his lack of mental faculties was caused by the medication he was being administered and not some kind of permanent brain damage caused by the heroin. The doctor had warned them that there was a possibility of permanent damage to Horatio's brain and central nervous system but until he was physically stronger it would be impossible to tell.

In between shifts at the lab Ryan had spent most of his free time sitting at his boss' bedside, it seemed as though he and Eric had come to some sort of truce although he felt that Eric tolerated his presence more than he welcomed it. For the past 48 hours Horatio had rested peacefully, waking every so often to find a member of his team sitting by his side. Ryan kept up his mantra of _"I'm sorry" _each time the lieutenant woke up until the other man drifted back to sleep again. Ryan couldn't help the wave of guilt that washed over him, each time he looked into Horatio's eyes and saw the glassy and unfocussed gaze of his mentor he cursed himself for his fallibility. It was late on Wednesday evening when the doctor once more addressed the team, standing in front of them in the ICU waiting area he cleared his throat to gain their attention. _"Excuse me, I have some more news on Mr Caine's condition" _he began as all eyes in the room focussed on him. _"We've been monitoring his heart rate and respirations continuously for the last three days and I'm happy to say that there has been a great deal of improvement in his respiratory functions. From tomorrow onwards we are planning to reduce the level of morphine being administered in order to wean Mr Caine off if it"_

_ "How long will that take, doctor?" _Natalia asked, gripping her knees tightly with her hands as she sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair.

_"It will be a gradual process over the next two to three days, it's important that we reduce the morphine slowly as we need to limit the amount of stress his heart is under, he's still quite weak at the moment"_

_ "What happens if he starts going through withdrawal again?" _Eric questioned, his eyes boring into the doctor.

_"If we are happy that he's strong enough we'll allow his body to go through the process of withdrawal as gradually as we can"_

_ "And if he's not?" _Frank interrupted.

_"Then we'll have to increase the morphine and start over again" _the doctor replied, making his excuses and leaving the room.


	7. Chapter 7

**Ok, hold on to your hats as here comes the next part. The angst has been cranked up to 11, I hope you enjoy!**

Eric found himself sitting awkwardly in Horatio's room the next morning; he moved his head from side to side and groaned at the pain in his neck and back. He looked up to find a nurse adjusting the readings on the morphine pump that was connected to his friends arm via an IV. _"The doctor has instructed us to reduce Mr Caine's morphine this morning" _she smiled at him, trying to reassure him. _"This is good news" _she told him before leaving the room and closing the door quietly behind her.

_"Hey, H" _Eric started, as he reached for his friend's hand. _"You're going to get through this, ok?" _Disheartened that he got no response, he sighed softly and placed the hand gently back down on the bed.

A few hours later Eric was shook from his daydreaming by a knock on the door; Calleigh poked her head through and smiled at him. _"Hey Eric, you need to take a break. Let me sit with him for a while, ok?" _she told him as she entered the room.

_"I'm fine Calleigh" _he told her, ready for the lecture that he knew was coming. _"I wanna be here for him Calleigh. I need to be here for him"_

_ "We all want to be here too Eric" _she tried to reason with him, _"He's going to need all of our strength over the next few days, you're not going to be much use if you're exhausted Eric" _She stood firm with her hands on her hips, signalling that she would not take no for an answer.

He sighed, stood and nodded his head, _"Ok, I'll go home and take a shower and try to get a few hours' sleep. If anything happens you call me straight away Calleigh. Got it?"_

_ "We'll be fine Eric. Go home" _she told him, placing her purse by the chair as she sat down. _"I've got a pile of reports to sign and this seems as good a place as any to go through them. Didn't think it'd be fair to leave them all to Horatio when he comes back" _she joked, trying to lighten the mood a little. _"I'm hoping he'll wake up and help me go through some of them" s_he said as she turned her back to Eric and began writing.

Three cups of coffee and several hours later Calleigh was distracted from her paperwork by a low groan emanating from the man in the bed. _"Horatio? You awake handsome?" _she asked, seeing the eyelids flicker open.

_"Urgh" _he groaned once more, _"Calleigh, what happened?"_

_ "You're in hospital" _she told him gently, _"Things went wrong at the warehouse and you got hurt"_

_ "How long?" _he asked his words slurring, he reached a shaky hand to the oxygen mask on his face.

_"Just over a week, handsome. You gave us all quite a scare" _she gently gripped his hand as he tried to remove the mask. _"You need to keep that on Horatio" _she told him, placing his hand back down on the bed.

_"Raid" _he said slowly, looking at Calleigh for confirmation.

_"That's right Horatio, the raid at the warehouse"_

_ "Ryan?" _he asked, trying to lift his hand to his face once more.

_"He's fine Horatio, you need to concentrate on getting better, ok?" _she answered, her eyes watering. She took his hand once more and held it in both of hers; she noticed the slight tremors that were coursing through his body. Taking a deep breath she steeled herself for the onslaught she knew was to come.

Eric returned later that evening, he knocked once and entered Horatio's room. He found Calleigh gripping her mentor's hand tightly as he moaned softly and moved his head from side to side. _"Hey" _he said gently, _"How's he doing?"_

She looked at him, tears running down her face. _"They've been reducing the morphine all day. He's been pretty restless the last few hours" _She wiped at her face, trying to keep her emotions under control; she knew she needed to be strong for all of them right now.

Eric and Calleigh looked at each other; neither knew what to say to make the other feel better. They were jolted from thoughts by Horatio shouting.

_"Speed!" _he sat up in bed, breathing heavily. His eyes were open as he frantically looked around the room, his eyes found Eric's and he looked at him pleadingly. _"Speed, check your gun!" _he demanded, "Speed, no!"he cried out as he desperately tried to free himself and get out of the bed, he was stopped by Calleigh and Eric's strong grip on him. _"Let me go!" _he yelled, trying to get free, _"I have to help him. Speed!" _he pleaded breathlessly.

_"Horatio, you need to calm down" _Calleigh begged him, running her thumb over his shoulder in an effort to calm him.

_"Speed" _he said, looking at her, _"I have to help him, he's dying!" _as he struggled to free himself of their grip.

_"H" _Eric said, his voice firm. _"H! It's Eric. You need to calm down, ok?" s_ensing the other man's struggling lessen he lowered his voice. _"Just lay back H, we've got it covered, ok?" _he told him as they gently pushed him back towards the bed.

_"Speed" _Horatio said softly, closing his eyes as his body shook uncontrollably.

Sensing that Horatio had fallen into some kind of restless slumber, Eric turned to Calliegh and told her, _"I've got it covered, go home and get some rest"_

_ "What if he starts hallucinating again?"_

_ "We'll be fine Calleigh. You need to be back at the lab tomorrow, go and get some rest" _he told her.

Doctors and nurses had come and gone throughout the evening, checking monitors and adjusting IVs as Horatio slept fitfully. The tremors were back with a vengeance and sweat poured from him as he continued to mutter the names of those that he had loved and lost. Pain lanced through Eric's heart as Horatio cried out desperately for Marisol, bringing back the painful memories of her murder.

_"Eric?" _Horatio groaned softly, trying to raise a shaky hand to his head.

_"I'm right here H" _he told him, intercepting the hand that was reaching for the oxygen mask.

_"It hurts, Eric" _he said, squeezing his eyes shut.

Eric's eyes widened at Horatio's admission, he had never heard his boss admit to any kind of pain before, even when he'd been shot by Randy North. _"Tell me where it hurts, H" _

_"Oh God" _he groaned as another wave of pain flowed through him, _"Make it stop, Eric!" _he pleaded as both of his hands went to his stomach as he tried to raise himself from the bed.

Eric felt completely helpless as he watched his friend suffer; he had seen people in withdrawal before but had never witnessed it in a person he cared about. He knew that there was nothing he could do except be there for him. _"You're going to get through this; H" _he told him fiercely, _"You're going to be ok"_

He couldn't help the tears that escaped from his eyes as Horatio continued to plead with him, _"Eric, make it stop. Please!" _he repeated over and over again as spasms clutched at his stomach repeatedly.

_"You're going to be ok, H. I promise" _he told him as he gripped his hand tightly, hoping to transfer some of his strength to Horatio. He knew that he had no other choice but to sit and watch as his friend writhed in agony.

It had probably been the longest night of Eric's life; he had spent the whole time awake trying to support Horatio through his ordeal. At some point the spasms had given way to vomiting, Eric could do nothing except rub his friend's back as he heaved repeatedly into a kidney dish. In the last few hours Horatio had fallen into a dreamless sleep, his body exhausted. Eric sighed and rubbed at his eyes with both hands and hoped that the worst was over.


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's the next chapter, the angst-athon is still in full swing so buckle your seatbelts...**

Eric looked up as the door opened, Ryan stood awkwardly in the doorway, unsure of whether he should enter the room, _"Wolfe" _he said, looking at the other man.

_"Have you been here all night, Eric?"_

He rubbed a tired hand over his face once more and felt the stubble that had been growing over the last few days. _"Yeah, he was pretty bad last night. Don't think either of us got much sleep" _he said, glancing to the man in the bed who appeared to be resting peacefully. _"I think he's just exhausted, he fell asleep a couple of hours ago"_

_ "Go home and get some rest, Eric" _Ryan told him, avoiding eye contact. _"I'll stay with him, I won't let anything happen to him. I promise"_

Having still not forgiven Ryan for the incident at the warehouse Eric was wary of leaving Horatio alone with him, he remembered Calleigh's words yesterday, he knew he would be no use to Horatio if he ran himself into the ground. _"If anything happens I'm the first person you call, got it?" _he demanded.

_"I understand, Eric. Go home and get some rest" _

Eric raised himself wearily from his chair, slipped his jacket on and left the room, glancing once more at the man lying on the bed. _"I'll be back later, H" _he said before closing the door quietly behind him.

Ryan took his place in the chair that Eric had vacated, he took Horatio's hand and told him about what had been going on in the lab. _"H, we got the guys who did this to you. They rolled on the other gang members too, they didn't really have much of a choice when the D.A threatened to go for the max on an attempted murder charge" _Ryan winced as he remembered how the raid on the warehouse had fallen apart, he still felt guilty as hell. _"You'll be up and out of here in no time, just you see" _

Horatio mumbled as he opened his eyes, squinting as he tried to adjust his vision to the light in the room. _"Ray?" _he asked shakily, looking in Ryan's direction.

Half expecting Horatio to be dazed and confused he reassured the other man, _"No H, it's Ryan" _ he smiled at him.

_"Ray, what are you still doing here?" _Horatio asked, starting to become agitated.

_"H, it's Ryan. Ryan Wolfe" _the younger man said once more, gripping Horatio's hand tighter in an effort to calm him.

_"Ray!" _he shouted, _"He's going to be back any minute. You have to get out of here!" _

Realising that Horatio was hallucinating Ryan was caught in two minds as to play along with it or try to bring the lieutenant back to some sort of reality. _"H, I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying right here with you" _he promised, knowing that Eric would have his head on a platter if anything happened to Horatio.

_"Ray, go now!" _he shouted, his breathing becoming harder and faster now. _"Please, you have to go. Now!" _he demanded as he grabbed hold of Ryan's shirt, pulling him towards his face. _"Don't you understand? He's going to kill us all. Get out, now!" _he pleaded with the younger man, clearly in the grip of a vivid and violent hallucination.

Not knowing what else to say, Ryan placed his hands over Horatio's and spoke to him calmly. _"It's ok, H. It's going to be alright. I'm staying here with you"_

The grip on Ryan's shirt eased as fatigue came over Horatio once more, he helped the other man to lay back down on the bed and ran a comforting hand through his hair as his eyes slowly closed. Hearing a soft knock at the door Ryan turned to see a nurse standing in the doorway, motioning to get out of the chair he was stopped by the nurse, _"It's ok, sir" _she told him, _"I just need to take a few readings and note them on the chart. I heard shouting, is everything ok?" _she asked kindly.

Ryan let out a long breath, _"I think so, he was having a hallucination" _he told her worriedly.

_"It's quite normal in these situations, sir"_

_ "How long will it last for?" _he asked the nurse.

_"Every patient is different" _she began, whilst adjusting the morphine pump. _"Mr Caine's morphine has been reduced significantly over the last twenty four hours, if all goes well the doctor may decide to stop administering it completely by the end of today"_

_ "I just want this to be over" _he told her honestly, _"I'm not sure how much more of this he can take" _

_ "Your friend is stronger than you think, he's made it this far" _she began, _"It looks like he's got a lot of people around him that care for him very much"_

The nurse finished her duties and closed the door behind her, Ryan turned back to Horatio who appeared to be sleeping. He picked up the trembling hand once more, _"I'm right here with you, H" _he told him as he saw Horatio mutter and move his head from side to side on the pillow. _"It won't be long now, then all of this will be over, ok?" _he tried to reassure him.

By mid-morning the agonising stomach cramps had returned, now it was Ryan's turn to sit by helplessly as Horatio writhed in the hospital bed begging for an end to his suffering. _"Argh, make it stop!" _Horatio pleaded over and over again as the sweat poured from his body. Ryan held onto his hand tighter, fighting his own instinct to run away.

_"Just hold on, H" _he told him, his voice cracking. _"It'll be over soon, I promise"_

It appeared as if Ryan's words had fallen on deaf ears as the other man continued to moan and plead for relief from the pain tormenting him, unable to understand why no one would help him.

Shortly after lunch Eric returned to the room, Ryan could see that the other man had at least had a shave and changed his clothes. _"How's he doing?" _Eric asked as he closed the door behind him.

_"He's been hallucinating again. He thought I was Ray" _he told Eric, _"He's been in agony the last few hours. I feel so helpless Eric, there was nothing I could do to help him. He just kept begging me to make the pain stop" _Ryan said, his voice shaking as tears welled in his eyes. He looked Eric straight in the eyes, _"I'm so sorry Eric. If I could change places with him right now I would" _pleading with the other man to understand him.

_"I know, Wolfe. I know"_


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks again to all of you who have taken the time to read and review my work, I really do appreciate it. Here's the next chapter, nice and angsty, just how you like it...**

Eric was sitting by Horatio's bedside, he had once again fallen into an exhausted sleep, the tremors, cramps and vomiting running their course over the last few hours. Horatio's doctor came to check on him mid-afternoon, looking at the readouts on the monitors and checking the nurses notes on the chart at the end of the bed he turned to face Eric, _"It looks like Mr Caine has reacted pretty well over the last 48 hours"_

_ "You call what he's been through reacting well?" _Eric asked incredulously, his voice rising in anger.

Kicking himself for his lack of tact the doctor tried again, _"I'm sorry. What I meant was that considering the stress and trauma that his body has been through he has come through the withdrawal process quite well. To be quite honest I was not expecting his heart to be able to deal with the added stress of the last 48 hours" _Seeing that the anger in the other man had abated somewhat, he continued. _"Mr Caine is on a very low dose of morphine now and the worst should be over quite soon. We'll stop administering it completely over the next 4-6 hours. All being well, we can start running tests to assess for any long-term damage to Mr Caine tomorrow morning" _The doctor made a note on the chart, placed it back on the end of the bed and left the room.

True to his word the doctor had discontinued the morphine pump by early evening, Calleigh and Frank had stopped by and spent a few hours with Horatio whilst Eric took a break to stretch his legs and grab something to eat from the hospital cafeteria. For most of the evening Horatio had rested comfortably, it appeared as though he had finally made it through the detox but Eric silently wondered if Horatio would remember any of it when he next woke up.

He was reading the newspaper when he heard Horatio sigh softly and raise his hand to his face, the oxygen mask had been removed at the same time as the morphine pump and replaced with a nasal cannula. Eric put his paper down on the bedside cabinet and leaned over the railing of the bed. _"H? You awake?"_ he asked, placing a hand on the other man's shoulder.

_"Eric, where am I?" _Horatio looked at him, clearly confused.

_"You're in Dade Memorial Hospital" _he told him, not wanting to overload him with information.

_"What happened?" _he croaked as he rubbed a weary hand over his eyes.

_"The warehouse raid, it went south. You got hurt, H"_

_ "How long?"_

Eric wasn't sure how much he should say, Horatio had only just woken up and the doctor had warned him again not to expect too much from him for the time being. _"You've been here for about 10 days, you're going to be ok though" _What Eric really wanted to say was that these had been the longest 10 days of his life, watching his friend fight for his life.

_"Tired, Eric" _he slurred, the effort of the conversation clearly sapping the older man of his energy. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep again as Eric sat back in the chair and returned to reading his newspaper.

The next time Eric opened his eyes it was daylight, Natalia woke him from his slumber as she entered the hospital room. _"Hey Eric" _she smiled at him, _"Have you been here all night again?" _she gave him a wry smile.

He rubbed a tired hand over his head and face, _"Yeah, guess I must have fallen asleep. Sorry about that" _he said, slightly embarrassed to be caught napping.

_"No worries. Go home and get some rest, I don't need to be at the lab for another four hours. I'll sit with Horatio whilst you're gone" _she told him as she shrugged out of her jacket and placed her purse on the floor beside the bed.

Eric reasoned that Horatio had rested comfortably for most of the night and that the worst was finally over, he knew he needed to be at his best to help his friend over the days to come when his support would be more important than ever. _"Thanks Natalia, I'll be back at lunchtime" _he told her as her grabbed his jacket and left the room.

Horatio was woken from a dreamless sleep by an annoying beeping noise that appeared to be coming from above his head. He opened his eyes and then groaned as the light hit him causing a shooting pain to go through his head. _"Urgh" _he groaned as he turned his head to the figure sitting beside his bed, although the image was blurry he would recognise that flowing dark hair anywhere. _"Natalia, where am I?" _he asked her confused, his heart rate increased as he looked down at his body and found numerous tubes running in and out of him and a multitude of wires connected to his chest. _"Natalia" _he repeated, panic starting to creep into his voice, _"What happened?"_

Sensing his unease she placed a reassuring hand on his arm, _"It's okay, Horatio. You're in the hospital, you got hurt but you're going to be ok"_

_ "How? What happened, Natalia?"_ he asked her again insistently, wanting an answer.

Knowing that her boss was a master at interrogation she knew that he would find out the truth sooner or later, she just wished Eric was here to be the one to tell him. _"You got attacked at the warehouse raid" _she started, hoping that he wouldn't question her further.

_"But what happened to me, Natalia?" _his tone becoming impatient.

_"You…um…you got hit from behind, a couple of the gang members set upon you….." _she stammered, clearly uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading.

_"Natalia" _he growled, his confusion and complete lack of energy doing nothing to lighten his current mood.

_"One of them…one of them had a needle. It was full of heroin, it ended up in your leg Horatio. I'm so sorry" s_he told him, closing her eyes and bracing herself for his reaction.

Panic flooded him, visions of his brother and his fall from grace in the narcotics division flew through his mind. He had always been anti-drugs and hated to see the way it affected those who used them. _"Oh God" _he whispered softly, _"How long have I been here, Natalia? Tell me the truth" _he told her in a tone that would brook no argument.

_"Eleven days Horatio" _she told him, taking a deep breath before continuing. _"We've all been here, sitting with you in shifts. I'm so glad you've woken up, we were all really worried about you. Eric's been here pretty much all the time since you were brought in, I had to force him to go home and get some rest this morning"_

Horatio let his head fall back into the pillow, he felt sluggish and weak but most of all he felt frustration at his body's lack of strength. It had taken all of his energy to open his eyes and speak to Natalia, lifting a shaky hand to his face he cursed his weakness, screwing his eyes shut and muttering quietly. He was meant to be the strong one, their leader; he could barely lift his own head let alone lead a team. A wave of shame washed over him and his cheeks reddened, a fiercely independent man he hated the idea of having to rely on other people to help him, it was one thing to let the hospital staff do their job but another entirely to have his team nurse-maiding him too. Feeling bitter and depressed he told Natalia, _"I'm tired, Miss Boa Vista" _calling her by her surname in an effort to distance himself from her, _"I'm sure you have better things to do than babysit me" _he couldn't keep the bitter edge from his tone.

Sensing his dark mood, Natalia spoke softly to him, _"its ok, Horatio. I'm not due at the lab for another couple of hours. I don't mind sitting with you"_

_ "Well I do" _he growled tersely, hating himself for being so harsh on her._"Excuse me?" _she said taken aback, recoiling from the angry redhead.

_"Please, Miss Boa Vista" _he tried again, trying to soften the tone of his voice, _"Please just go, I need to be on my own" _he closed his eyes once more, willing the tears to stay put.

_"Horatio. I promised Eric I would stay with you until he got back" s_he said, trying to reason with him.

_"Well he's not here, and I don't want you here either!" _he spat, raising his voice.

Shocked by his outburst, Natalia grabbed her purse and threw her jacket on. _"Fine. Have it your way" _she told him, wiping at the tears on her face. She glanced at him and shook her head sadly before leaving the room.

Hearing the door close, Horatio let out a deep shuddering breath as the tears fell from his eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Here you go guys, another chapter for you:**

Eric returned to the hospital at midday, he was about to enter Horatio's room when the doctor stopped him. _"Mr Delko, is it possible to have a word with you please?"_

Sensing that something was wrong, Eric's mind immediately envisaged Horatio dead or dying. _"What's happened, doctor? Is something wrong?"_

_ "Ah…..not entirely, Mr Delko" _the doctor saw the look of confusion on the other man's face and tried again, making an effort to be clearer in his meaning. _"Mr Caine woke up this morning and for all intents and purposes he seems quite coherent, if a little confused. We need to run a number of tests to ascertain the likelihood of any permanent damage to his body" _the doctor paused and took a deep breath, _"Unfortunately, Mr Caine is being less than co-operative with my staff. He's been very agitated and aggressive this morning, he even sent one of your colleagues packing earlier today, I'm afraid"_

_ "Is it normal?" _Eric asked.

_"I'm sorry, I don't follow. Is what normal, Mr Delko?" _the doctor responded.

_"His reaction. Is it normal in these kinds of situations?" _he asked, praying that the answer would be 'yes'.

_"Considering what Mr Caine has been through in the last eleven days, I would be more surprised if he wasn't reacting in this way. I take it that he is quite an independent man?" _the doctor asked.

Eric let out a humourless laugh, _"You could say that"_

_ "Well, the fact that he's weak and confused is certainly not helping his mood. I take it that he's not the kind of man who accepts help from others very easily?"_

Eric shook his head sadly, _"No, he isn't"_

_ "Unfortunately, Mr Caine is being reminded of his own mortality. I think he's having a hard time admitting that he needs help and so he's lashing out at those around him. I was wondering if you would come with me to speak to Mr Caine and try to talk some sense into him" _the doctor smiled encouragingly.

_"Sure" _Eric replied, _"Not sure how much use I'll be though" _

Eric followed the doctor into Horatio's room, he glanced over to the man in the bed and found him staring intently at the ceiling.

_"Mr Caine?" _the doctor began, walking slowly over to the bed. _"I've brought someone to see you" _

Horatio continued to stare at the ceiling, taking particular interest in a damp patch on one of the ceiling tiles.

The doctor tried again, _"Mr Caine, I understand your frustration but you must let my nurses do their jobs, we're trying to help you"_

Horatio turned his head and locked eyes with the doctor, _"I don't need your help, doctor" _he spat with venom in his voice, _"What I need is to go home and be left alone"_

_ "Mr Caine, you're in no condition to be going anywhere at the moment" _the doctor tried to reason with him, _"You need to let us help you, otherwise you won't be getting out of here anytime soon" _he told the stubborn redhead a little more firmly._ "We need to carry out a number of tests to ascertain if there is any long-term damage, but we can't do that unless you're willing to co-operate" _The doctor looked at Eric, signalling for him to step in.

_"H, you need to let them do their job. They're trying to help you" _

Horatio sighed and turned his head towards Eric, looking him straight in the eyes. Eric was taken aback by the sadness the other man's face conveyed. _"I want to go home, Eric" _he told him dejectedly.

_"You will, H. I promise, but you've got to let them do their jobs first"_

Horatio knew Eric was right and he made a mental note to add that to the list of failures he was currently compiling about himself. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, _"Fine. Do whatever you have to then leave me alone" _he told the doctor tersely.

Eric sat outside in the waiting area as doctors and nurses came and went from Horatio's room throughout the day, several times the bed was wheeled to another department where more tests and assessments were carried out. Each time he saw Horatio moved back into his room Eric's heart broke a little more, he could see the other man had closed his eyes and was pretending to be asleep but Eric could tell from the stiff set of Horatio's jaw that he was awake and hating every minute of it.

Having been subjected to a barrage of tests and scans Horatio was finally transported back to his room permanently by early evening. Eric has sat with him even though he had been told several times to leave and go home; he decided to ignore the icy stares that his friend was shooting him from his bed. The doctor knocked quietly on the door and entered the room, clearing his throat to gain the attention of the two men. _"Excuse me gentlemen, I was hoping I might have a word with you?"_

Having been poked and prodded all day long and subjected to a battery of tests and scans Horatio was tired and irritable, right now all he wanted to do was sleep and then wake up the next morning to find that it had all been a horrible dream. _"Come to give me the bad news I take it?" _he asked bitterly, the self-loathing in his voice evident.

_"Mr Caine" _the doctor began, trying to keep his tone neutral. _"I know that you have undergone a number of tests and scans today and that it can be very tiring, especially for someone in your condition" _The doctor mentally kicked himself for his lack of tact when he saw the looks on the faces of the two men.

_ "And what exactly is my condition?" _Horatio growled, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the doctor, giving him an icy glare that would make most suspects quiver.

_"Mr Caine, your body has been subjected to a vast amount of stress recently, as you know you are experiencing a lot of muscle weakness at the moment. The heroin had a serious effect on your heart; the good news is that there doesn't appear to be much in the way of permanent damage to any of your vital organs"_

_ "Is that it?" _Horatio asked, his eyes closed.

_"I'm afraid not, Mr Caine. First of all I should tell you that you're extremely lucky to be alive and as coherent as you are. Many people who suffer from a drugs overdose either end up dead or in a vegetative state. Your MRI scan showed no major damage to your higher brain functions although you have sustain some minor damage to the amygdala which is the area of the brain that controls muscle function, memory and moods"_

_ "What does that mean, doctor?" _Eric asked.

_"Well, the brain is capable of retraining itself to bypass damaged areas of it. As the damage is minor there is a strong possibility that with intensive physical therapy that Mr Caine will make an almost complete physical recovery"_

_ "What do you mean almost?" _Eric said, his tone wary.

_"It's much more difficult to assess damage and recovery periods when it comes to long-term memory and emotions, I'm afraid it will just be a case of 'wait and see' but I assure you that the hospital has a number of specialist who will be able to provide treatment" _The doctor once more made his excuses and left the room, allowing the two men time to digest the information he had given them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Here's the next chapter for you, someone needs to give our favourite lieutenant a stiff talking to...**

Eric stayed with Horatio for another hour or so, they sat in silence as both of them tried to come to terms with what the doctor had told them. Eric had tried talking to Horatio at first but gave up when he got one word answers in reply. After a while Horatio closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, Eric quietly left the room and dialled a familiar number.

_"Hey Eric" _a perky southern voice answered, _"How's Horatio doing? Awake and giving the nurses a hard time?" _she joked.

Eric winced as he recalled Horatio's behaviour towards the hospital staff earlier in the day. _"Like you wouldn't believe" _he told her tiredly, sitting down on a chair.

Hearing the weariness in his voice, she probed for more information. _"What's going on there Eric, is everything alright?" _she asked,clearly worried now.

_"No Calleigh, not really" _he told her honestly, _"They ran some tests today, the doctor said there's some brain damage"_

_ "Oh Lord" _Calleigh audibly gasped as she took in the news, _"How bad, Eric?" _she asked timidly.

_"He said that it's fairly minor, something to do with the amygdala, it controls memories, moods and muscle functions. He said that with physical therapy that H should make an almost complete recovery"_

_ "But that's good news isn't it, Eric?"_

Eric ran a hand over his face and pinched the bridge of his nose, _"Not if you're H it's not. He wants to walk out of here and go home and he's not taking it too well that he can't. I know that he's not exactly in control of his emotions at the moment but he's being real hard work, you know?"_

_ "Give him time, Eric. I know he's pushing you away right now but sooner or later he's going to realise that he needs us there"_

Eric laughed humourlessly, _"Calleigh, you do remember that this H we're talking about, right?"_

_ "I know, Eric. Horatio's just being stubborn and pig-headed but that's why we love him, right?" _

_ "Yeah, Calleigh. I suppose you're right" _Eric admitted, smiling and feeling better for talking to Calleigh.

_"Aren't I always?" _she told him cheekily before hanging up.

For the first time since this ordeal had started Eric had managed to get a fairly decent night's sleep, Horatio had slept peacefully throughout the night having been exhausted by the previous day's activities. Eric looked at his watch and then stood up from the chair and stretched his tired and aching muscles, he looked over and found Horatio still asleep and so left the room closing the door quietly behind him. Just as he was about to walk to the cafeteria he saw Frank enter the waiting room.

_"How's it going, Delko?" _big Texan asked.

_"About as good as can be expected" _Eric replied honestly.

_"That good, huh?" _Frank countered, _"Calleigh told me what the doctor said, I take it he's not taking the news too well?" _he asked, motioning his head towards Horatio's room.

_"He's like a bear with a sore head, Frank. I think most of the nurses are scared he's gonna bite their heads off if they get too close to him" _

_"Huh" _Frank grunted, hands on his hips, _"You reckon he's up for a visitor, Delko? "_

_ "He was asleep when I left a few minutes ago, the nurses will be round with breakfast soon anyway so you might as well go and wake him up" _With that Eric, walked out of the ICU waiting area and down the corridor, stretching his neck as he went.

Frank entered Horatio's room just as a nurse was leaving, looking more than a little upset. He braced himself for the icy reception he knew he would receive, he closed the door behind him quietly and looked over to the man in the bed. Horatio was lying propped up in bed with a breakfast tray in front of him, _"Morning, Horatio" _he began.

The red head turned his head to look at the other man, _"What do you want, Frank?" _he responded wearily.

_"Well, aren't you the little ray of sunshine this morning?" _he quipped, unfazed by Horatio's surly demeanour.

_"Have you just come here to insult me? That's not nice you know, you shouldn't mock the afflicted" _Horatio muttered as he pushed the tray away from him.

_"How long are you going to keep this up, Horatio?" _Frank asked, feeling his hackles rise at his friend's negative attitude.

_"How long am I going to keep what up, Frank?" _Horatio shot back, almost spitting his colleague's name.

_"This little pity party you've got going on. I've thought you were many things Horatio but I never put you down as being a jerk" _Frank countered, his anger mounting.

_"Jerk?" _Horatio repeated incredulously, then sighed and closed his eyes. _"Sure, Frank. Whatever you say"_

_"The Horatio I know wouldn't just sit back and take this crap. He'd get up and fight!"_

_"Maybe I'm not the Horatio you knew anymore, ever think about that?" _

_"That's bull and you know it!" _Frank shouted, realising that he had lost his temper he took a deep breath and tried to compose himself. _"Look, you got hurt. Big deal. Do you have any idea what your team have been through in the last couple of weeks?"_

_"Have you any idea what I've been through?" _Horatio countered, petulantly.

_"Well I can see your ego is still in one piece! I'm so sorry Horatio, I forgot this was all about you!" _Frank shouted, his temper boiling over. _"You've got a group of people who want to help you through this but you insist on pushing them away"_

_"I don't want their help. I want to go home and be left alone" _Horatio responded, his voice low.

_"Why? So you can wallow in your own self-pity?" _Frank said as he paced around the room, _"You need help, whether you like it or not. You're going to have to swallow your pride and let people in"_

_"I don't need to be treated like a child" _Horatio spat.

_"Then for God sake stop acting like one then!" _Frank bellowed, he took another deep breath in an effort to calm down. _"You need to let your team be strong for you for once, stop being such a self-righteous prig and let us help you"_

Horatio was tired of arguing, tired of putting on an act for the benefit of others. He knew that he didn't have the energy to fight his friends as well as his ailing body, something had to give. _"I'm supposed to be strong. I'm supposed to be their leader" _he told Frank, dejectedly.

_"Accepting help doesn't make you weak, Horatio. It'll take some time but you'll get back on your feet, if you let us help you"_

_"I'm scared Frank" _Horatio admitted, _"What if this is the best it's going to get? What if end up some weak old cripple who can't even wipe his ass without help?" _the look of sadness in his eyes shocked Frank.

_"Not likely" _Frank huffed, _"I've never met anyone as stubborn, pig headed and single-minded as you. And those are just your finer points" _he smirked, raising a slight smile from the other man. _"You're not going to give up, Horatio. We won't let you"_


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks again for the great reviews, here's the next chapter for you. I've put in a little somthin' somthin' for all the DuCaine fans out there, I hope you enjoy...**

Frank left Horatio's room to give the other man time to chew over his words, maybe he'd been a little harsh on him but someone needed to pull Horatio's head out of his ass as the man sure wasn't going to do it himself. He felt more than a little guilty at shouting at someone who had nearly died a few days ago but reasoned that his actions were justified given the circumstances. Frank was debating whether or not to go back in and apologise when Eric entered the waiting area, a cup of coffee in each hand.

_"Hey Frank. I thought you were going to sit with H for a while?" _Eric enquired, puzzled to find the Texan wandering around.

_"Ah, yeah. About that" _he began , unsure of whether he should be honest about what had just happened. _"Things got a little heated in there, I figured we both need time to cool our jets, Delko" _he admitted, contritely.

_"What happened, Frank?" _Eric pressed, eyeing the older man warily.

_"I told your man a few home truths. He didn't like it" _Frank replied succinctly, standing his ground.

Eric looked the other man in the eye and smirked, _"About time someone did" _he told him, patting him on the shoulder as he walked past him and into Horatio's room.

_"Hey, H. Thought you would appreciate some real coffee" _he told the red head brightly, trying to lighten Horatio's dark mood.

Still stinging from Frank's words he tried his best to smile and seem appreciative, _"Thanks Eric, that's very kind" _he said, then cursed as his hand shook holding the hot beverage.

Seeing the look in Horatio's eyes Eric tried to reassure him, _"It's just temporary H, you'll get through this" _he told him earnestly, _"The doctor says you'll be transferred out of the ICU later today" _

_"Sounds good" _Horatio replied, trying to sound happy for Eric's sake.

_"Then hopefully by the end of the week they'll let you go home"_

_ "That sounds even better" _Horatio raised a weak smile.

_"You might not feel like that when I tell you that you're coming home with me" _Eric added, waiting for Horatio to argue back.

_"Eric, I'm sure you have much better things to do than sit and play nursemaid to me" _Horatio replied, tiring of the conversation already.

_"I don't actually. Remember when I got shot?" _Eric said as Horatio nodded his head slightly, _"I remember you being there with me every day, looking after me until I'd recovered. It's time for me to repay the favour, H"_

_ "Do I actually get a choice in this?" _Horatio sighed, sensing his imminent defeat.

_"No" _Eric smiled victoriously, _"Not really"_

Having been transferred out of the ICU that evening, Horatio was taking in his new surroundings and admiring a new set of stains on the ceiling tiles. He was still smarting over the chewing out that Frank had given him earlier in the day but realised that maybe the big bald-headed coot was right, he really didn't have the energy to be fighting his colleagues as well as himself. He was regaining a little strength but his complete lack of energy was galling to him, even having a short conversation with somebody drained him to the point where he couldn't keep his eyes open afterwards. He felt weak, old and useless.

He was disturbed from his wallowing by a soft knock on the door, Natalia meekly popped her head through, trying to assess Horatio's mood. _"Is this a bad time?" _she asked, unsure of herself. _"I can come back if it is" _she said, starting to close the door again.

_"Natalia" _he started, _"Please come in. I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you" _he told her remorsefully, _"You didn't deserve my anger. I'm sorry" _he sat propped up in bed, surrounded by pillows, twiddling his shaking hands together.

She carefully made her way over to his bedside and placed her purse down by the chair, _"its ok, Horatio. I understand" _she told him, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. _"I should have cut you a little slack; I shouldn't have run out and left you like that" _

_"After the way I spoke to you Natalia, I deserved it. Forgive a weak old man of his sins?" _he tried to joke half-heartedly.

_"You're not old and you're certainly not weak" s_he responded with conviction, _"You'll be back up on your feet in no time"_

_ "I hope you're right, Natalia" _he replied, willing himself to believe her.

Natalia sat with Horatio for a few more hours, giving him updates on what was going on at the lab. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to talk about work at first, worrying that she might be making Horatio feel worse about his current situation but he was insistent that she told him everything. He certainly looked a hell of a lot better than he did a few days ago, after being transferred from the ICU most of the monitors, tubes and wires were removed from his body. The doctor informed them earlier that he would begin physical therapy tomorrow in an effort to regain his lost strength and prepare him to be released from the hospital.

Horatio was dozing lightly when he heard the door to his room open; he opened his eyes and saw Calleigh standing in the doorway with a bag of toiletries in her hand. _"Hello, handsome" _she said brightly, giving him a warm smile.

_"Calleigh, what are you doing here?" _he asked, puzzled.

_"I've come to see my favourite boss, what's wrong with that?" _she replied, perkily, setting the bag down on the end of the bed.

_"I'm your only boss, Calleigh" _he told her patiently.

_"I know, but you're still my favourite" s_he said as she winked at him.

Deciding it would be easier to play along rather than arguing he asked her, _"To what do I owe the pleasure, then?"_

_ "I've decided that although you look ruggedly handsome with that beard it just has to go. It's just not you, Horatio" _she answered, taking a can of shaving foam and a razor from the bag and setting them down on the tray on Horatio's bed.

He recoiled him horror as he realised what Calleigh wanted to do, _"You're not coming anywhere near me with that!" _he told her firmly, eyeing the razor in her hand.

_"Fine" _she said, placing the shaving foam and razor into his hands. _"You do it"_

She sat and watched him struggle with the items in his hands for a few minutes and smirked when she saw him struggle to get the shaving foam out of the can. A few seconds later he threw the items down on his bed in defeat and groaned, _"Arrrgh!" _furious at himself for his weakness in front of Calleigh.

When he finally raised his head to look at her she gave him a pointed look and raised her eyebrow. Satisfied that she had made her point she sat down on the bed, lathered the shaving foam in her hands and applied it to his face. She was so close to him now that he could smell her perfume, he had to admit that she was stunningly beautiful and told himself to sit back and enjoy it, and most men would kill to be tended to by such a gorgeous woman.

As she gently massaged the foam into his cheeks Calleigh couldn't help but be affected by her close proximity to her boss, she had always thought he was handsome with his twinkling eyes and cheeky smile. It saddened her that it had been far too long since she had seen him smile, he gave so much of himself to others and he deserved to be happy too. She picked up the razor and gently started removing the greying beard from his face, he swallowed nervously as she got closer to him, her face mere inches from his. Calleigh tried to keep her hand steady as she worked, forcing herself to concentrate on the task at hand rather than daydreaming about running her hands over Horatio's face. Horatio felt ashamed that he was having visions of himself placing his hands lovingly on Calleigh's face and kissing her softly, he shook himself from his thoughts as she placed the razor back down on the tray and admired her handiwork. Rubbing the excess foam off of his face she held a small mirror in front of him, _"There, much better. Don't you think?" _

He smiled shakily at her, trying to keep his thoughts on his clean-shaven face rather than on the achingly beautiful woman perched tantalisingly close to him on his bed._"Definitely. Thank you, Calleigh" _he told her earnestly, gazing into her emerald eyes.

They sat looking intently at each other, neither wanting to avert their eyes from the other. Coming back to her senses slowly, Calleigh cleared her throat and began packing the toiletries back in the bag trying to distract herself. _"My! Is that the time?" _she said, making a point to look at her watch and not at the man in front of her, _"I must be going. I'll see you soon, Horatio" _she told him as she made a hasty exit from his room.


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm glad all of the DuCaine fans enjoyed the last chapter, there will be more to come, I promise you...**

Horatio was sat up in bed propped up by pillows pushing his unwanted breakfast around his plate, even though he wasn't feeling nauseous he still couldn't bring himself to take more than a couple of mouthfuls of the bland hospital food. He looked up when he heard the door open and saw a man standing in the doorway, he placed his fork down on his plate, _"Can I help you?" _he asked the stranger.

_"I guess it's going to be more of a case of 'can I help you?'" _

Whoever this man was Horatio had decided that he was far too tired and irritable to tolerate someone that perky at this time in the morning. _"I'm sorry, but I have no idea who you are. Am I supposed to know you?"_

_ "Nope. But you will do soon. The name's Paddy, I'm your physical therapist" _the other man replied brightly, extending his hand to Horatio.

He eyed the stranger warily, he was well-built, late 30's to early 40's with short greying hair. The therapist smiled at him, after so many years in the police force Horatio knew better than to judge people on appearances, still he couldn't help but be irritated by the man's seemingly permanent sunny disposition. _"Are you always this perky in the mornings?" _Horatio asked him testily.

_"Well that depends" _Paddy replied, _"Are you always this tetchy?" _

_"Well, I would get up and give you the grand tour" _Horatio started, sarcastically.

_"That's ok, Mr Caine" _Paddy said, unfazed by the other man's negativity. _"May I call you Horatio?"_

_ "Call me whatever you want" _Horatio muttered, closing his eyes and pinching his nose with a shaky hand.

_"I can see that you're going to be lots of fun, Horatio. Let's get started shall we?" _

Ninety minutes of gruelling physical therapy later, Horatio laid back on his pillows and took a deep breath. He was covered in a thin layer of sweat, _"Here" _Paddy told him as he passed him a hand towel, _"Dry yourself off with this"_

Horatio felt embarrassed, all he had done was sit upright in his bed and completed a few leg exercises but he felt as if he had just run a marathon. _"You've done well today, Horatio" _the therapist said as he packed his kit back into his bag, _"Once we've got a bit of strength back in your legs we'll think about getting you up and out of this bed"_

_ "When will that be?" _he asked impatiently, getting tired of his lack of independence.

_"If all goes well, maybe the day after tomorrow" _Paddy handed Horatio a rubber ball, _"Here, squeeze this in your hands. It'll help build your strength back up in your arms" _he told him as he walked to the door, _"You're gonna need strong arms when we get you out of that bed. Trust me" _he smiled as he left the room.

Eric stopped by at lunchtime, Horatio was insistent that now he was on the road to recovery that the team stop spending their every waking moment with him, they had the lab and their own lives to worry about. Although he wasn't being kept company twenty four hours a day it didn't stop his team turning up in their lunch breaks, after their shifts and on their days off.

_"Hey H, how's it going" _Eric asked as he sat down in the chair beside the bed.

_"Eric, what are you doing back here?" _

_ "Relax H, I'm on my lunch break so I thought I'd swing by and check on you" _he smiled easily, _"So, are the nurses hotter on this floor, H?" _he asked with a devious glint in his eyes.

_"Well, considering I'm usually asleep when they come in I wouldn't know, Eric" _Horatio responded, not willing to take the bait.

Snagging a grape from the bowl on Horatio's tray Eric decided to change tacks, _"The doctor tells me you started physical therapy today, how'd that go?"_

_ "I managed to sit upright for ten whole minutes and did half a dozen leg exercises. Perky Paddy says it's progress" _he muttered, growling the last part.

_"You'll get there, H" _Eric said, trying to reassure him.

_"If I'm lucky I might even be able to get out of bed the day after tomorrow. That'll be fun" _Horatio grumbled, clearly still galled by his lack of strength. _"Anyway" _he said, wanting to change the subject, _"Tell me about what's going on at the lab"_

For the next few days Horatio fell into a routine, his team would visit him at breakfast, he'd then spend a couple of hours being tortured by the physical therapist, spend the afternoon sleeping and wake up to find a member of his team by his bed again. They had all visited him but Calleigh was conspicuous by her absence, Horatio made a mental note to ask the next person who visited him if everything was alright with her. Clearing his mind of thoughts of the southern blonde bombshell he squeezed the rubber ball, changing hands every few minutes. Tomorrow would be the day when he would finally be able to get out of this Godforsaken bed, he told himself.

_"Right, here we go Horatio" _Paddy said as he helped him to sit upright in the hospital bed, _"On the count of three I want you to swing your legs around. One….two….three" _Horatio couldn't believe how much effort it took to get his body to obey his commands, Paddy steadied him with a firm grip on the red head's shoulders as he took several deep breaths in an effort to control his breathing. _"Just sit there and take it easy for a minute. I've got you" _the physio told him.

Having regained his composure Horatio tried to get up onto his feet under his own steam, _"Whoa there tiger!" _Paddy said as he steadied the other man and helped him to sit back down on the bed before Horatio's legs gave way. _"Let's do this together, ok? Unless you want to end up in a pile on the floor that is" _Paddy chided gently.

_"Ok Horatio, on the count of three I want you to put your feet on the floor push up from the bed with your arms, I'll help keep you steady. Ok, one….two….three" _He was wobbling and his legs were shaking uncontrollably and he knew that it was only Paddy's strong grip that was keeping him upright but he got a small sense of satisfaction that he was finally out of bed.

They stood like that for a couple of minutes,_"Ok, as much as I'm enjoying this tender moment with you Horatio, I think it's a good idea if we get you sat back down before we both fall over" _Paddy told him good naturedly as he prepared to support Horatio back down to the bed.

_"Please" _Horatio began, _"I've just got out of that damn bed, don't make me get back in it just yet" _he looked at the other man, his eyes pleading. _"Can't you just let me sit in the chair for a while?"_

_ "I don't know, Horatio. If we push things too far you'll end up back at square one" _the physio said warily. Against his better judgement Paddy agreed, as he helped Horatio sit down in the armchair, he knew he had made the right decision when he was rewarded with the look of contentment on the other man's face, it was the first time he had seen a glimmer of something positive from his stubborn patient.


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning followed the same routine as the last few days; today Horatio woke up to find Ryan sitting by his bedside. After exchanging pleasantries they sat in awkward silence for a while, feeling uncomfortable Ryan tried to spark up a conversation, _"So, H. What's the food like in here?"_

Puzzled by the line of questioning but glad for a break from the silence Horatio responded, _"Bland" _he told Ryan, sticking his spoon into the porridge, lifting it up and then letting it drip back into the bowl, _"And sloppy" _

Sensing that this topic of conversation was not going to last very long Ryan tried again, _"Any idea when they're going to let you out of here?" _Ryan mentally kicked himself when he saw Horatio's eyes narrow and a scowl cross his face.

_"No, Mr Wolfe. I don't" _He told the younger man succinctly, as he continued to poke and prod at his food.

Ryan was glad of the knock at the door, no matter the situation he seemed to be able to put his foot in it somehow. It didn't matter what he said or how well-meaning he was it always came out wrong. Ryan looked over at the door to find Horatio's physical therapist standing in the doorway and bouncing on the balls of his feet. _"That's my cue to leave, H. I'll…..uh…..I'll see you soon" _he stammered as he bolted for the door.

_"Well good morning Horatio. Isn't it a lovely day?" _Paddy asked brightly.

_"Great" _Horatio thought to himself bitterly, _"Two hours with Mr Sunshine is just what I need" _Plastering a sarcastic smile on his face Horatio replied, _"Well seeing as I've been stuck in here for the last two weeks in rooms with no windows I wouldn't really know would I?" _

_ "Now come on Horatio, I thought we were making progress after yesterday" _the therapist replied, a little disappointed at the other man's negative attitude.

_"I managed to sit in a chair for ten minutes, that's hardly anything to write home about is it?" _he sneered, not in the mood for the irritating presence of Paddy this morning.

Sensing that his patient needed something to brighten his mood he came up with an idea, _"Stay there Horatio. I'll be right back" _he told him as he quickly left the room.

_"Well, it's not like I'm going anywhere, is it?" _Horatio muttered to himself.

A few minutes later Paddy returned to the room with a wheelchair, _"Fancy taking this little beauty for a spin?" _he asked the redhead enthusiastically.

Horatio's eyes widened in horror as the full extent of his lack of independence hit him like a tidal wave. He realised that for the foreseeable future he would be dependent on a wheelchair and people pushing him around in it, his cheeks coloured in shame. _"I'm not getting in that!" _he told the other man furiously.

_"How else are you planning to get to the rehabilitation room? I'm sure as hell not carrying you there, Horatio" _the therapist shot back.

_"I'm not going anywhere in that!" _Horatio responded, his voice rising.

Paddy had come across men like Horatio before, men who were too proud to accept help when they needed it. He had worked with dozens of injured military servicemen and a number of police officers in his time and they were all the same, sooner or later they all learnt to put their pride to one side and concentrate on overcoming their physical frailties, only then could they begin to recover. _"Quit whinging and get in the chair, Horatio" _he told the stubborn lieutenant, his tone firm.

Surprisingly, Horatio found it less of a struggle to sit upright in bed this morning; it also seemed to take less effort to swing his legs over to the side of the bed. With a little help from Paddy he raised himself from the bed and sat down in the wheelchair. _"See?" _the therapist told him, _"That wasn't so hard was it?" _Horatio just scowled at him as the other man walked round to the back of the chair and began pushing him out of the door.

He would never admit it to the other man but he was glad to be out of his room, the hustle and bustle of the hospital corridors were a welcome change of scenery from the stark white walls of his current prison cell. It was nice to hear something other than the beeping of monitors above his head and he soaked up as much of the atmosphere as he could. Just as he was getting used to the new sights and sounds the wheelchair stopped, Paddy pushed the door open and wheeled the chair through. _"Welcome to my lair" _he told the other man as he swept his arm around the room.

To Horatio it looked like a torture chamber, there were machines and evil-looking contraptions everywhere; he silently wondered which piece the therapist would inflict on him first. _"Right" _Paddy said, picking up a pair of small weights, _"Let's get started shall we?"_

Two hours later and Horatio was bone-achingly tired, he had worked and stretched muscles that he had no idea he'd had. Using gym balls and weights to build his upper body strength he toiled and sweated until he felt as if his arms would drop off. His reward at the end of the session was his first go at walking using the parallel bars, he had only been able to take a couple of wobbly steps before his legs gave out but he had to admit to himself that it was progress.

_"Excellent work today" _the therapist told Horatio as he helped him back into the wheelchair and handed him a towel. _"Keep this up and you'll be going home soon"_

_ "You think so?" _Horatio responded, feeling slightly stronger physically than he had yesterday.

_"You've still got a long way to go until you're going to be back up on your feet properly but you're doing well. If I can get you to the point where you can walk a short way without assistance then I'm pretty sure the doctors will discharge you. You'll still be seeing me on a daily basis for a few weeks even if they do let you go home though"_

_ "I hate this" _Horatio told the other man honestly, _"I just want to get up and go home, I feel weak and old" _he said bitterly as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

_"That's because you're tired, you're not the first hard man I've seen being taken down a peg or two" _Horatio shot him a look but he carried on regardless, _"Needing help and support from those around you doesn't make you weak you know"_

_ "I feel ashamed, my team must think I'm pathetic" _Horatio responded, the self-pity in his voice evident.

_"You're kidding me, right? Those people that come and visit you every day? They worship the ground you walk on! I sure wish I had a group of friends like that" _Paddy told him honestly. _"They want to help you"_

_ "I don't need their pity" _he told the therapist angrily, folding his arms like a petulant child.

Sighing and sensing that this argument could carry on for some time Paddy raised his voice and tried to make the stubborn redhead see reason, _"They don't pity you, you fool! They love you!"_

Taken aback by the Paddy's outburst, Horatio mumbled, _"I'm pretty sure the Hippocratic Oath says you're not allowed to shout at patients like that" _

Taking a deep breath to calm himself Paddy apologised, _"I'm sorry, Horatio. But you have to be one of the most pig-headed and infuriating men I have ever met. If you just channelled some of that into our therapy sessions you'd be out of here and out of my hair in no time" _With a sigh Paddy let the brake off the chair and they made their way back down the corridor in silence.

They had almost reached his room when Horatio caught sight of a familiar face. His eyes lit up as his gaze fell upon Calleigh; she stood outside his room smiling brightly at him. _"Hello there, Handsome" _

_"Wow, is that your girlfriend Horatio?" _Paddy whispered in his ear.

_"No, this is my colleague Calleigh" _he told the other man as introductions were made and pleasantries exchanged. _"Shouldn't you be at work?" _he asked her, silently happy that she was here with him and not locked away at the lab.

_"It's a quiet day" _she told him brightly, _"Thought I'd come and spend some time with you, if that's ok?" _she asked slightly nervous, unsure of his mood.

_"More than ok, Calleigh" _he responded sincerely.

_"Would it be ok if I took Horatio for a while?" _Calleigh asked the therapist, _"I promise I'll bring him back soon" _she said, giving Paddy her most sincere smile.

_"As long as it's not too long, he's done a lot of hard work this morning. He's going to need a rest soon" _Paddy replied, cautioning Horatio not to push himself too far. _"No more than 30 minutes ok?, otherwise I'm coming to find you" _

_"Thank you, Paddy" _Calleigh said as she pushed Horatio back down the corridor and away from his room.

_"Where are we going Calleigh?" _Horatio asked, puzzled.

_"Now that would spoil the surprise, handsome"_ she teased gently. _"You're just going to have to trust me"_


	15. Chapter 15

**Sorry for the wait guys, here's the next chapter. Just a word of warning though, there are only two more chapters after this one...**

Calleigh wheeled Horatio down a number of corridors until she found what she was looking for, _"Aha! Here we go, Horatio" _she said as she came to a set of double doors, she opened them and pushed the wheelchair out into the beautiful grounds of the hospital garden. Finding a large tree to stop under for shade she placed the brakes on the chair and looked at Horatio, he heart warmed at the image of him, it was the first time she had seen a genuine smile on his face for what seemed like a very long time. _"What do you think, Horatio?"_

He turned his head to look at her smiled serenely, _"It's wonderful, Calleigh. Thank you" _To Horatio it seemed as if he had been trapped in a hospital room for eternity, the artificial lighting and lack of windows had left him in a permanent state of confusion, never knowing if it was day or night. He closed his eyes as he felt the strong rays of the sun warm his skin, he hadn't realised how much he had missed the simple pleasures of a warm Miami day.

_"That's not all, Handsome" _she told him conspiratorially as she looked into the large purse she had been carrying, _"I took the liberty of smuggling in some contraband too" _She smiled cheekily as she took two Styrofoam cups out of a brown paper bag, _"Fresh from your favourite coffee shop" _she said as she handed him a cup.

_"Black, two sugars?" _he asked hopefully, with a small twinkle in his eyes.

_"With an extra shot" s_he whispered to him.

_"Calleigh, I think I love you" _he told her as he took a long swig from the cup, closing his eyes as his body registered the pleasure.

She felt her heart pound at his last statement; her heart told her that he had just declared his love for her whilst her head told her he was just showing his gratitude for the coffee she had brought him. Putting her romantic thoughts about her boss to one side she delved back into the paper bag and brought out two chocolate muffins, _"I also snuck this in for you too, handsome" _

_"How did you know?" _he asked her, he had no idea that she knew his favourite flavour.

_"The girls at the coffee shop miss you, they told me that these are your favourites" _Calleigh took a bite of hers, _"I can see why" _she said as she licked some icing from the corner of her mouth.

Horatio swallowed nervously as he watched Calleigh eat her cake, never had he seen a muffin be devoured with such grace and beauty. Admonishing himself for being turned on by watching Calleigh eat he tried his best to think of cold showers and dead bodies in an effort to calm the stirring in his loins. He realised that if she licked her lips one more time that he would probably spontaneously combust right there and then. He was disturbed from his fantasy by Calleigh's sweet voice, _"Are you going to eat that, Horatio?" _she asked eyeing up his still uneaten muffin.

_"Uh…..yes, thank you"_ he stuttered as he attempted to peel the paper case off with shaky hands. He squeezed his eyes together and growled under his breath as he found his body once again failing to respond to his commands.

Seeing him struggle, Calleigh leaned over and steadied his hands and together they removed the offending material, _"There you go" _she told him as she looked up, her face was mere inches from his, she could feel his breath on her face, she was tempted to lean in and close the distance further so that she could kiss him tenderly. Their gazes locked for what seemed like an eternity, the tender moment was broken when Horatio's stomach growled loudly. _"Sorry" _he mouthed, looking slightly embarrassed.

She leaned back onto the bench and took a moment to gather her emotions, _"You need to eat up, Handsome" _she smiled at him, _"You're skin and bones, we need to fatten you up a little" _She took a good look at him, it was true that he had lost a lot of weight since the ordeal had begun, he was a naturally slim man anyway but at the moment he looked positively gaunt.

He returned her smile, _"I'm not sure my doctor would agree that this is the kind of food I should be eating" _he teased as he took a bite from the muffin, he groaned in pleasure as the chocolate stimulated his taste buds. _"Still, it's better than the slop they call 'food' in here" _

_ "You should try to eat more, Horatio. You need to keep your strength up" _The doctor had told them that his lack of appetite was normal in these kind of situations but he had also stressed the importance of Horatio eating to regain his strength as his current lack of energy was compounded by the fact that he was eating so little.

_"To be honest, Calleigh" _he said as he turned to look at her, _"I haven't really felt that hungry and when I have it's just made me feel sick when I eat anything" _

_"Well, I'll just have to bring you coffee and cake every day then, won't I?" _she told him playfully as he finished off the rest of the muffin and his coffee. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, she glanced at him and realised that he had probably fallen asleep. She placed her hand on his arm and shook him gently, _"Horatio?" _she called his name softly, and he groaned and opened his eyes to look at her.

_"Huh? Calleigh, where are we?" _he asked her confused, as he rubbed at his eyes.

She knew it was time to return Horatio to his room, his morning of therapy combined with his little trip to the hospital gardens had exhausted him. The doctor had warned that although he was improving daily and regaining some physical strength that his memory and moods were likely to suffer if he became overly tired. _"Come on, Handsome" s_he told him, _"Time to get you back to your room" _She took the brake off the wheelchair and pushed him back towards the hospital entrance.

_"How did I get out here?" _he asked her impatiently, angry at himself for not knowing what was going on.

_"I brought you out to enjoy the sunshine for a little while. You're tired; I'm going to take you back to your room so you can have a rest" _

_ "I'm not a baby, Calleigh" _he told her harshly as he folded his arms over his chest.

She flinched at his cold tone but let his petulance slide, she knew that she needed to make allowances for his mood swings, the doctor had told them that it would improve with time along with his physical abilities. _"Definitely time to get you back" _she muttered under her breath.

They travelled the rest of the way to his room in silence, she could hear him sucking in his breath and twice caught him wiping at his eyes. She pushed the chair into the private room and parked it by the bed, placing the brake on she crouched down to look at him face to face. _"It's going to be ok, Horatio" _she told him, taking both of his hands in hers and squeezing them, _"You've just tired yourself out, let me help you get into bed" _ Her heart ached to see him look so despondent, she lifted a hand to catch a stray tear rolling down his cheek with her thumb.

_"I'm pathetic" _he told her bitterly, not wanting to look at her.

Shocked by his negativity she gently cupped his face and raised his head to look at her, he averted his gaze. _"Look at me" _she told him, he continued to look away, _"Horatio" _she said more firmly, he reluctantly looked into her eyes. _"You are not pathetic. You've been through hell the last couple of weeks, you're ill and tired but you're not going to feel like this forever, I promise you"_

_ "I don't know why you're bothering, Calleigh. I'm just a washed up, lonely old man" _he responded, his tone low.

_"I'm bothering because I love you!" _she shot back, her voice rising.

Horatio's face registered his shock at her outburst and his eyes widened. _"You don't love me Calleigh, you pity me"_

_ "That's where you're wrong, Horatio. We all love you; we just want you to get better. We miss you at the lab; it's not the same without you"_

His heart sank a little when she compared her love for him as being the same as that of the team. _"Why would she love a stupid old fool like you?" _he told himself bitterly. Wanting to be left on his own he felt his emotional barriers come down, _"I'm tired, Calleigh. I think I just need to be left on my own"_

_ "Ok, Horatio. Let me help you get back into bed" _she replied as he helped him stand, she watched him struggle as he tried to swing his shaky legs back on to the bed, she moved to help him but froze when she saw the warning look on his face telling her to back off. She gave him one last glance before leaving his room and shutting the door quietly behind her, only then did she allow the tears to fall.


	16. Chapter 16

**I feel mean teasing the 'will they, won't they' so I've decided to put you all out of your misery. I hope you enjoy...**

Horatio had spent the afternoon sleeping, exhausted from his therapy session and his emotional outburst with Calleigh. He felt awful for the way she left earlier in the day, he promised himself that the next time she visited he would apologise and make it up to her, _"If she comes back, old man" _he thought to silently.

Eric had stopped by in the evening and Horatio forced himself to smile and seem interested in whatever the younger man was saying, too often he found his thoughts drifting back Calleigh, her beautiful smile, her luscious long hair and the way she made his heart skip a beat when she looked at him.

_"Anyway, Natalia says that there's this great new restaurant out on South Beach…." _Eric stopped talking when he noticed the faraway look on Horatio's face. _"H? You listening to me, man?" _When he got no response he gently placed a hand on the other man's arm, _"H? You ok?"_

Horatio gasped and jumped at the physical contact. _"I'm sorry, Eric?" _

_ "You zoned out on me there, H. You ok, or do I need to go and get a doctor?" _the younger man asked, concerned that his friend was having some sort of relapse.

Horatio shook his head slightly and closed his eyes, hoping that when he opened them again that the visions of Calleigh would disappear. _"Uh….It's been a long day, Eric. Guess I'm just feeling a bit tired" _he said, hoping that Eric wouldn't press him further. Seeing the look on Eric's face he tried to reassure him, _"I feel fine, honestly. I'm just tired" _as he yawned for extra effect.

Eric eyed him warily, he knew that Horatio was keeping something from him but he couldn't seem to put his finger on it, he knew better than to push the stubborn redhead in his current state, the last thing either of them needed was another angry outburst. _"I guess that's my cue to leave then" _Eric said, rising from his chair, _"I'll come and visit you again tomorrow, H" _

_"I'm looking forward to it, Eric" _he replied, fixing a smile on to his face. As soon as the other man left the room he allowed the smile to fall, he sighed and took a deep breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. _"Get over it, old man" _he admonished himself, _"Calleigh Duquesne is way out of your league" _Horatio let his head fall to one side on the pillows as he tried to fall asleep without dreaming of her.

He had slept well last night apart from the fact that a certain blonde ballistics expert haunted his dreams, Frank had come to visit before breakfast this morning and the two had apologised to each other awkwardly. Neither of them were the touchy-feely type and certainly not the kind of men that sat and talked about their feelings. It was more a case of a raised eyebrow and a nod of the head but both men felt better for making their unspoken apologies to each other. Frank left when Horatio's therapist arrived, giving Paddy a grunt and a nod as he passed him.

_"18, 19, 20 and we're done" _Paddy said as he took the weights from Horatio's shaking hands, _"Really good work today, Horatio" _he told him encouragingly as he handed him a towel. _"I'll give you a few minutes to get your breath back and then we'll see if you can take a few more steps"_

_ "Fantastic. Can't wait" _Horatio retorted sarcastically as he threw the sweat soaked towel to the ground beside him. _"And this time next week I'll be doing the Irish Jig"_

Paddy wiped the sweat from his own head with a towel as he prepared the parallel bars, _"You should be good at that, being Irish and all" _

_"And what makes you think I'm Irish?"_

Paddy stopped what he was doing and laughed, _"Please, the name Caine, the red hair? Not to mention you look handsome in a pug-Irish kind of way"_

Horatio's eyes widened at the last statement, _"You think I look handsome?! Should I be worried about you, Paddy?" _he asked with a hint of smile.

_"Definitely not" _he told Horatio as he took a swig of water from his bottle, _"Now, that hot blonde chick that came to see you yesterday, that's more up my street" _

Horatio felt a flash of anger surge through him, more at himself than anything as he realised that his therapist would have more of a chance with Calleigh than he would. Given a chance he knew Calleigh would pick Paddy over him, Paddy wasn't an invalid for one, Paddy was younger, better looking and didn't need help getting in and out of bed.

Seeing the sudden change in the other man's demeanour, Paddy walked over to Horatio and crouched down so that he was at eye level with him. _"Hey look, Horatio" _he started, _"I'm sorry if what I said upset you. She's your colleague; I should have spoken about her with more respect. I'm sorry"_

_ "It's fine" _he told Paddy succinctly, _"Don't worry about. Let's just get on with it, ok?"_

Forty minutes later Horatio was being wheeled from the rehabilitation centre and back to his hospital room, the conversation between the two men had been strained since Calleigh had been mentioned. The only positive that seemed to have come from the incident was that it spurred Horatio to work harder and put more effort into walking a few more paces at the end of the session. Horatio was just about to resign himself to another afternoon dozing in his bed when he caught sight of her at the end of the corridor, their eyes met and he couldn't help the smile on his face as she approached him.

_"Hey there, handsome" s_he said as she smiled warmly at him, the events of yesterday seemingly forgotten, _"Fancy taking another trip with me?"_

_ "I'd love to" _he told her, drinking in the sight of her. God, she was beautiful.

Turning to the therapist she smiled sweetly at him and told him, _"I can take it from here Paddy, I'll bring him back soon"_

Paddy looked from Calleigh to Horatio and made a mental note to tell the other man that this woman was hopelessly in love with his patient. He could see it in the way she looked at him, _"Sure, Miss Duquesne. Make sure you don't tire him out" _

As before, Calleigh pushed the wheelchair out into the hospital gardens and stopped under the same large tree as yesterday. Applying the brakes she sat on the bench beside him, _"I managed to smuggle more treats in, Horatio" s_he told him teasingly, _"Coffee and muffins, just how you like them!" _she smiled as she took the brown paper bag out of her purse. She handed him his coffee and felt a warm glow flow through her when she heard his small moan of satisfaction as he took a large gulp of the dark liquid.

_"Thank you, Calleigh. This is wonderful" _he told her earnestly, _"But I don't deserve your kindness after the way I treated you yesterday" _He hung his head in shame, _"I'm so sorry Calleigh"_

She took his free hand in hers and squeezed it firmly, _"You have nothing to apologise for, Horatio. You're ill, you can't help these mood swings" _He looked at her now, his cheeks colouring in shame, _"It will get better. I promise you" _she told him firmly.

_"Will it?" _he asked her despondently, looking at the ground once more.

_"Of course it will, you're getting stronger every day. A few more days and then you'll be out of here"_

_ "And then stuck at Eric's for God knows how long" _he said bitterly.

_"Is there something wrong with Eric's place?" _she asked, knowing that this was not the reason for his hesitance.

_"No, nothing. I just don't want to be a burden on him. On any of you"_

She placed her cup down on the bench and took his gently from his hands; she placed both of her hands on his face and lifted his head to look him in the eyes. _"You listen to me, Horatio. You are not a burden on us. We're a family and families stick together. Understand?"_

He closed his eyes and nodded his head as best he could with her still holding on to it, his heart sank again when she confirmed that the only love she had for him was like that of a sibling, _"Or a father" _he thought to himself.

Still holding on to his face she leaned in closer, so close that he could feel her breath on his face. _"We love you, Horatio" s_he whispered, _"I love you" _He clenched his eyes shut; he couldn't bear to see the look of pity on her face. He was completely taken by surprise when he felt her lips softly touch his, he willed his body not to respond to her ministrations but his lust for her took over. He placed his shaking hands on her waist as she leaned closer to him and deepened the kiss, her hands moved from his face as she ran her hands through his short red hair.

This kiss was broken a few moments later, Horatio leaned back in the wheelchair and attempted to catch his breath as Calleigh returned to the bench, running her tongue over her bottom lip as if savouring the moment of passion that had just occurred.

_"Wow" _was about the only coherent thing he could say, Calleigh looked at him the light of passion still burning brightly in her eyes. _"What was that for?" _he asked her as he ran a finger across his lips.

_"I told you, Horatio. I love you" _

_ "Do you kiss your father or brothers like that then?" _he asked, confused by Calleigh's actions.

_"Of course not" _she told him, giving him a dirty look. _"I kiss my boyfriends like that"_

_ "I'm sorry, Calleigh. I'm confused" _he said as he ran a shaky hand through his tousled hair.

_"I love you Horatio" _she repeated, as if talking to a small child. _"I guess seeing you almost die made me realise that life's too short to sit back and do nothing"_

_ "What are you saying, Calleigh?"_

_ "I'm saying that I love you and that I want to be more than friends and work colleagues. Would you be ok with that?"_

_ "Of course I would" _he thought to himself, she was stunningly beautiful , she could have any man she chose and so for the life of him he couldn't understand why she would waste her time with a man like him. _"Calleigh, you could have any man you wanted. I don't understand why you want me; I've got nothing to offer you. I can't even look after myself at the moment, why would you want to lumber yourself with some old man like me?"_

She loved this man more than anything in the world but God he could be a pain in the ass sometimes! _"You're the most generous, kind and loving man I've ever met, Horatio. You always put others first and never think of yourself. You have no idea just how special you are" _

_ "I'm not special" _he told her, squirming uncomfortably at her words.

She leaned forwards and kissed him tenderly, _"Well, you are to me. And if I have to spend every day for the rest of my life kissing you to prove it to you I will"_

He realised then that his self-control had abandoned him as his body gave in to her ministrations and he lost himself in their passionate embrace.


	17. Chapter 17

**Ok guys, here is the final chapter to Fallen. I felt that it had come to a natural end at this point, I know some of you will be disapointed that there won't be any more after this chapter but I may very well write a sequel in the future...**

The next few days seemed to rush by in a blur for Horatio; Calleigh declaring her feelings for him had given him an extra incentive to put more effort into his physical rehabilitation. After each session with his therapist Calleigh had come to meet him with coffee and cake, they sat in the same spot in the hospital gardens each day enjoying each other's company. He still for the life of him couldn't work out what she saw in him, all he saw was a tired and frail old man. Each time his bitterness got the better of him she would kiss him passionately to remind him of her promise to him, she seemed to be able to reach places in him that he had though had been closed off many years ago. She had the ability to see through his emotional barriers and she was breaking them down one by one until she got to the true man underneath. Each day he lived in fear that if she saw who he really was that she would leave him; unable to understand why he had done the things he had.

Sitting on the edge of his hospital bed in an old MDPD t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants he smiled as Eric and Calligh entered his room, they were followed shortly behind by Paddy who was pushing a wheelchair. _"Right, Horatio. Time to take this lovely lady for one last spin" _

Horatio looked at the other man and shook his head, _"I don't need that thing. I'm walking out of here" _he told the therapist, staring firmly.

_"It's hospital policy I'm afraid" _Paddy replied, motioning for Horatio to get in the chair. _"You can either get in the chair or stay here for another day. Your choice" _he raised an eyebrow at the redhead.

Horatio continued to stare at Paddy, hoping to win the battle of the glares. Calleigh walked up to him and placed a hand on his arm, distracted he turned to look at her. _"Come on Horatio, get in the chair and let's go home" _she gave him a sweet smile.

He knew he could deny her nothing, sighing softly he gradually raised himself from the bed and sat in the wheelchair meekly. _"Fine" _he told them huffily, _"But as soon as we get outside I'm walking to the car"_

True to his word he walked the dozen or so paces to Eric's hummer on shaky legs. He was glad for the physical support from Calleigh as he knew he would have fallen flat on his face had she not been there to lean on. Eric jumped out of the vehicle and helped Horatio get in the back despite the protests from the older man that he could manage by himself. By the time Eric had pulled into his driveway Horatio was asleep, his head resting against the door window. _"He looks so peaceful when he sleeps" _Calleigh whispered to Eric, gazing lovingly at the man in the back of the car.

Eric had seen that expression on her face before; he gave Calleigh a pointed look but said nothing. _"I guess we better wake sleeping beauty up then" _he said good-naturedly as he got out of the car and walked around to Horatio's side. He placed a hand on the sleeping man's shoulder and shook him gently. _"H, wake up. We're home, let's get you inside. Ok?" _

Horatio opened his eyes and groaned softly, rubbing at his face he turned to look at the younger man, _"Ugh, Sorry Eric. I must have dropped off" _he said, trying and failing to look alert and awake.

_"No problem, man. Let's get you inside and settled" _Eric helped Horatio to exit the vehicle and kept a hand on the other man's elbow as he weaved his way to the front door on wobbly legs.

Despite Horatio's protests Eric was insistent that the older man took his master bedroom whilst Eric transferred his own belongings to his guest bedroom. Eric and Calleigh helped Horatio settle in to the room and left him to his own devices whilst they went to the kitchen to make coffee. Calleigh was quietly day dreaming when Eric's deep voice jolted her from her thoughts, _"You love him, don't you?" _he said softly.

Stunned by Eric's intuition Calleigh took a moment to gather herself before replying. _"Is it that obvious?" _she smiled wryly.

He smiled at her, _"Pretty much"_

She took a deep breath and ran a hand through her long blonde hair, _"I guess I've always had a soft spot for him. Seeing him almost die made me realise that life's too short to not take chances"_

_ "Does he know?"_

Her eyes closed as she thought back to their first kiss under the shade of the oak tree, _"Yes" _she replied, _"Yes he does"_

Eric drained the last of his coffee and put the cup back down on the counter, _"Good" _he said as he smiled at Calleigh and left the room.

Three weeks later Horatio was finishing getting dressed when he heard a soft knock at the bedroom door, _"Come in" _he said softly as he finished buttoning up his shirt. He looked up and smiled as Calleigh entered the room, _"Hello beautiful" _he said as she walked over to kiss him softly on the lips. Today was the day that he was finally able to go back to his own house, the last six weeks had been some of the most challenging of his life, there had certainly been more downs than ups but things had really been improving in the last week or so. He had successfully completed his physical rehabilitation, the muscle weakness and shakes only returning when he pushed his body too far beyond its limits. His doctor was happy that his memory and emotional stability were improving but warned once again that if Horatio pushed himself too far that they were likely to falter along with his physical strength.

The team had stood by him through everything, there were times when he lashed out at them, frustrated at his lack of independence and physical frailty but they stood firm throughout the storm of his volatile emotions. The more he tried to push them away the tighter they held on to him, unwilling him to let him face his demons alone. There were times when he all he wanted to do was curl into a ball and give up but each time he did Calleigh would take him in her arms and kiss some sense into him. He realised now that he was completely addicted to her, he needed to see her each day to get his fix, she made him feel like he could be a better man when she was by his side.

Calleigh drove him the short distance back to his own house; they sat in the car together in comfortable silence. _"Here we are" _she said as she pulled into his gravel driveway, _"Home sweet home"_

He got out of the car and gazed up at his house, it seemed like an eternity since he had been here. Together they walked to his front door, it was only then that he realised that he didn't have his keys. He looked at Calleigh, embarrassed. She smiled sweetly at him and pulled a set of keys from her pocket, _"Looking for these?" _she teased. He returned her smile with one of his own and took the keys from her, he felt a jolt of electricity go through him as their fingers brushed together lightly.

Calleigh took his bag from him and let him enter the house first, he sighed contentedly as he took in the familiar surroundings. He turned to look at Calleigh; her heart soared at the peaceful look on his face. He was home. _"I need a coffee" _he told her as he made his way to the kitchen. She smiled as he stopped halfway through the kitchen door.

_"Kyle?" _he said hopefully, praying that his eyes weren't deceiving him, _"What are you doing here? How did you get here?" _he babbled as he walked closer to his son, wanting to touch him to make sure the moment was real and not a fantasy.

_"I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner, Dad" _his son told him remorsefully. _"My C.O is a complete ass, I wanted to come back as soon as I heard what had happened but he wouldn't let me. I tried to go AWOL but they caught me trying to sneak off then base and threw me in the brig for a month"_

_ "That doesn't matter" _Horatio replied, _"You're here now, that's all that counts" _they came together and embraced firmly.

_"Jeez, Dad" _Kyle said as he broke from the physical contact and regarded his father, _"You're skin and bones, they really did a number on you didn't they?"_

_ "It doesn't matter, Kyle" _he told him as he looked from his son to Calleigh, _"I'm getting there, with a little help"_

He knew that it would still be at least another two weeks before he would be fit for work and even then he would probably be restricted to desk duty, he was aware that he probably wouldn't be able to push himself as much physically as he had before he got hurt but somehow he was strangely ok with that, he took strength from the fact that he was surrounded by people who loved him just the way he was.

***Sob* That's the end of Fallen, I hope you guys have enjoyed the ride! **

**Don't be too sad though, a sequel to Fear and Loathing is on its way very soon...**


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